Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater Society of Automotive Engineers

Rodney E. Slater, United States Secretary of Transportation
February 26, 1998

I am very honored to be here tonight. I understand that I am the first Transportation Secretary to come before you since Sam Skinner. So I feel very privileged. I hope it will not be that long again!

Much has changed since he was here nearly a decade ago. Rarely have Americans lived through so much change in so short a time. In the blink of an eye, it would seem, we have moved into the Information Age, a global economy, a truly new world, as President Clinton likes to say. And Americans have met these challenges of change, as we always have.

For the last five years, we have formed a new kind of government that is leaner, more flexible, more responsive. And most of all, a government that gives the people the tools they need to pursue life, liberty and happiness. Today we have the smallest government in 35 years. But it is a new style of government.

It has a vision that goes beyond the old framework of regulation and enforcement. It is a catalyst for ideas and a partner of the people and industry it serves.

Clearly, this is apparent in economic policy. The President has submitted to Congress the first balanced budget in 30 years. This kind of fiscal discipline will hold down interest rates and spur growth, just as it has done in the past. And in the last five years, this has made our economy strong, with nearly 15 million new jobs 700,000 of them in transportation. We have the lowest core inflation in 24 years, rising incomes, and the highest home ownership in history.

The American auto industry has benefitted greatly. Profits of the Big Three hit a record $16 billion last year, a sharp contrast to $31 billion in losses five years ago. You have worked very hard to help turn around your industry -- and this economy.

President Clinton, and all of us in his Administration, know this. You may recall, the President’s first trip out of Washington was to Detroit, in early 1993, to hold a town hall meeting to talk about how to fix the economy. Why Detroit? Because this is America’s heartland, home to one of the greatest industries on earth.

Clearly, I stand before you tonight as your partner to strengthen America for the 21st century. Let there be no doubt, hear my commitment: I want to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. Together, we can tackle the challenges that confront our transportation industry.

As Transportation Secretary, I have three goals, and all of them involve you. They are, Improving safety; common-sense government; and maintaining record levels of investment in our infrastructure.

Safety must be our North Star. What good is any transportation system if it cannot move people and goods safely? And like all of our challenges, we must work as partners.

That is what we did recently on the policy permitting on-off switches for airbags. We listened to the American people, safety advocates, industry and together came up with a practical solution that allows you to turn off the air bag for someone at risk and turn it back on to preserve the lifesaving benefits for everyone else. It was a complicated decision. One in which we had to face the challenge of changing technology and new information. But with this industry’s help, the right decision was made.

As you know today, the issue of collisions involving light truck vehicles -- or LTVs in government jargon -- has arisen. I know these are popular vehicles.

But let me simply say this. As we have done in the past, we will continue to base our efforts on a common sense approach in which everyone’s expertise, and everyone’s input will be sought -- and valued.

That is why, along with all the other ongoing issues, we will hold a summit in the upcoming months to address this question. As America’s best engineers, you can help us make the job easier. I do not think there is an engineer here tonight who does not want to see a product improved or made safer.

The work you have done over the years is significant. Lives are being saved. Thirty years ago there were five fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled. But in 30 years, together, we have cut that rate two and a half times to less than two per every 100 million vehicle miles.

Let me do the math: comparing these rates, this year alone we will have saved 60,000 lives. One year, 60,000 lives.

But while good technology is a major factor in saving lives, let us not forget the human element -- driver behavior.

The numbers are unsettling. Seat belt use has peaked at 68 percent, it is 90 percent in many industrial nations. Two in five of our precious children ride unbuckled. Forty-one percent of all traffic deaths are alcohol-related, and nearly a third involve speeding.

Clearly, there is more work to be done.

The President made safety a top priority in his balanced budget -- more than $3 billion to protect American lives -- a record. The budget would increase funding to combat drunk driving and to increase seat belt and child safety seat use. All told, President Clinton’s initiative will help lift the seat belt use-rate to 90 percent by 2005.

Lowering the blood alcohol standard from .10 to .08, for law enforcement purposes, also would reduce fatal collisions. California saw a 12 percent drop in the first year of its .08 law. Many industrial nations are at .08 or lower.

It is time for America to adopt a national .08 standard. President Clinton strongly supports it and so do I. Fifteen states already have it, what are we waiting for?

We also are working hard on public education. Two weeks ago, I was at an Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign press conference. A study was released confirming, what we knew -- that children do as their parents do. The evidence is clear -- to get children buckled up, we must get drivers buckled up.

So you will be hearing this message repeated across the nation.

Facing the challenges of the future, we have worked very closely with many of you in technology partnerships that will help to bring about extraordinary new vehicles for the next generation.

First, there is the Advanced Vehicle Program. This is a new R&D investment with the Department of Energy and the private sector. It will work to develop new technologies that reduce pollution and energy consumption in trucks and other heavy vehicles.

We are launching a collaborative effort which will actually prevent crashes before they happen. Our Intelligent Vehicle Initiative is expected to eliminate 17 percent of all crashes -- by using just three primary crash avoidance systems: rear-end; roadway departure; and lane change and merge systems. This effort promises to take us to new heights in traffic safety.

We are also collaborating with industry on the highly successful Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV).

This partnership -- strongly supported by President Clinton and led by Vice President Gore -- is turning the cars that engineers and designers dream of into reality. Working with the U.S. Council for Automotive Research, USCAR, we have created a new R&D paradigm. No longer are industry, government and academia working at odds or in isolation. Instead, we are working as a team.

The program is on schedule and producing results. The new cars will hit the road early in the 21st century. As they do, new high-tech, high-paying jobs will be created. America will be more competitive in the global economy. And our reliance on foreign oil will be reduced, as will harmful greenhouse gases.

I plan to get a look at some of these technologies tomorrow morning, when I visit Ford’s research labs. And I look forward to future visits with other automakers.

Before closing, I want to talk briefly about two important missions for you and for all of us: funding for the nation’s surface transportation system and the education of our youth.

Today we are investing record levels in our transportation infrastructure. In part, the Big Three deserve some of the credit because of all the cars they are selling.

But to continue this level of investment, we must renew our highway and mass transit programs. Over the past few weeks, I have visited with many congressional leaders to talk about pressing ahead with President Clinton’s $175 billion, six year spending plan. We call it The National Economic Crossroads Transportation Efficiency Act, or NEXTEA.

A six-month extension of the old law runs out in just 63 days -- May 1st. So Congress must act soon to avoid major disruption in the highway program. This is especially worrisome as the spring construction season approaches. The last thing we want are needless delays.

Why is this bill so important? Because it will determine what our transportation system will be like in years to come.

As we stand on the eve of a new century, we must keep America competitive so we can compete and win on the international stage. This plan will help us do that. It speaks as much about the next six years, as it does the next 60 years.

I think everyone here tonight understands what I am saying, that no economy prospers without a vibrant transportation system.

Finally, I want to close on what I believe -- and I know you also believe -- is the biggest long-term anchor for America’s competitiveness -- education.

President Clinton, for some time now, has put education at the top of our domestic agenda. He wants to hire 100,000 new teachers. He wants to increase the number of classrooms. And he wants every child to have the chance to go on to college.

And my Department of Transportation is right there with him. We have a program -- the Garrett A. Morgan Technology and Transportation Futures Program -- named after the inventor of the traffic light. This program will ensure that the next generation is ready for the transportation jobs of the 21st century.

It is designed to attract young people to our industry, and to help train them in math and science, for these are the skills of the new century. And we want them to know that this industry offers high-paying jobs with a future. I hope to reach a million youth with this program.

I was also delighted to learn of your A World in Motion program. Your program and ours recognizes that we are facing a deficit in skilled engineers. Our high school students are under-performing in math against their peers around the world -- which a report released this week found.

Indeed, there are one-third fewer engineering majors on our nation’s college campuses than a decade ago. This trend must be reversed.

I say: let us join forces! Given the energy of this organization, and the work we are doing at DOT, we can prepare our youth for careers in transportation. Together we could reach every student, in every classroom in America.

As we near the 21st century, we must keep in mind that transportation is about more than concrete, asphalt and steel. It is about people and giving them the opportunity to make the most of their lives. It is about building a safer and stronger, smarter and more united transportation system. This new united and integrated transportation system will be international in reach, intermodal in form, intelligent in character, and inclusive in service. In summary, transportation is about building a more perfect union.

Together we can build that kind of future for our children, for I believe our best days are yet to come.

Thank you very much.

Source:  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)