New U.S. Traffic Safety Data Released at Launch of the First Worldwide Decade of Action for Road Safety and National Youth Traffic Safety Month on May 11, 2011
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--May 9, 2011: In recognition of the May 11, 2011th worldwide launch of the first ever United Nation-sanctioned Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020) and May as National Youth Traffic Safety Month, America’s leading traffic safety and public health organizations will release new data on the impact of crashes on the nation. It will include state-specific data about the cost of motor vehicle crash deaths, and timely data about youth deaths on the road. Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death for young people, both in the U.S. and worldwide.
Hosted by the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, the U.S.’s longest serving Secretary of Transportation, and the U.S. Friends of the Decade, the event marks the U.S. launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety in Washington, DC, which is being observed simultaneously with displays and wearing of the official road safety symbol-- the Yellow Tag - in over 50 countries around the world and in at least 30 U.S. cities on May 11th. High profile Decade supporters who have worn the Tag include President Clinton, President Carter, Michelle Yeoh, Jet Li, El Gran Combo, Mayor Bloomberg, Aung San Suu Kyi, and others.
The event will showcase new data and tools from U.S. Friends of the Decade to improve safety for people of all ages on the roads. There will also be a special screening of three new Sesame Street PSAs focused on traffic safety that will be broadcast worldwide that day.
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When: |
10:00-- 11:00 a.m., May 11, 2011 |
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Where: |
Upper Senate Park near the U.S. Capitol (close to Union Station) | |
| 200 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC | ||
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Who: |
Hon. Norman Y. Mineta, Chairman, Make Roads Safe North America |
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| Hon. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator (D-MN) | ||
| Hon. John Mica (R-FL), Chair of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | ||
| Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | ||
| Hon. David Strickland, NHTSA Administrator | ||
| Hon. Gil Kerlikowske, White House Director of National Drug Control Policy | ||
| Mr. Kirk Steudle, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation and Vice President of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) | ||
| Mr. Mel Ming, COO of Sesame Workshop | ||
| Special appearance by Walkaround Grover, Sesame Street’s Road Safety Ambassador | ||
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Following the Launch Event, U.S. Friends of the Decade will also host a 1:00 p.m. Decade of Action for Road Safety EXPO in the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer and a 3:30 p.m. Congressional Briefing by Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC Director, in the U.S. Capitol Room HC-8. |
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U.S. Friends of the Decade include National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), FIA Foundation, ASIRT, ATSSA, AASHTO, Make Roads Safe, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Governors Highway Safety Association, AARP, SADD, MADD, the Allstate Foundation, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, National Road Safety Foundation, National Safety Council, Operation Lifesaver, International Road Federation (IRF), The National Center for Safe Routes to School, the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and many others. |
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The FIA Foundation is an international philanthropy working with the World Health Organization on the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020).
