Remarks by Secretary Slater at Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children

Rodney E. Slater, United States Secretary of Transportation
May 24, 1999

REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION RODNEY E. SLATER
OPERATION ABC MOBILIZATION: AMERICA BUCKLES UP CHILDREN
MAY 24, 1999
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Safety is President Clinton’s top transportation priority. At the Department of Transportation it is our North Star by which we are guided and judged.

Whether traveling by air, on land or on water, safety is first and foremost. There is no single issue to which we are more committed.

Safety is a promise we keep together, and clearly, today’s numbers reflect our commitment to that promise. This is the first time in recent history that the needle is moving up -- and moving up dramatically. Give yourselves a hand -- we are saving lives.

The reports point to our success -- today 87 percent of America’s toddlers are in child safety seats, booster seats and seat belts. Two years ago we were at 60 percent. And the numbers are up in every category -- from infants to seniors. Clearly, America is hearing and heeding our safety message.

Last year, 19 million more Americans buckled up -- the largest single year increase in more than eight years. Nationally, seat belt use is up from a stagnant 62 percent to an all-time high of 70 percent.

These success are due, in part, to the extraordinary efforts of law enforcement. Two years ago, I stood with you to launch our first Operation ABC Mobilization. We issued a call to enforcement and today, more than 5,800 agencies have joined our "Endorsements for Enforcement" campaign.

And today we are launching our fourth Operation ABC Mobilization. And we will do it again in November. It is the repetition of the waves that makes them so effective.

Our success demonstrates that intense, visible enforcement works to drive up seat belt use. It is public-private partnerships like these that will help us reach President Clinton's goal to get more Americans to buckle up.

Under the leadership of Dr.Ricardo Martinez and the Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Executive Director Janet Dewey and the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, we are seeing great success in our goal to protect America’s children in traffic crashes.

To our many partners, especially those from the car and insurance companies who help fund this extraordinary campaign, we thank you for your support and commitment to safety.

To law enforcement across the nation -- and to the officers here from the District, Maryland and Virginia, you have our deepest gratitude for making these mobilizations such a success.

Deputy Chief Terrence Gainer, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, your zero tolerance pledges give our law enforcement officers the needed tools to do the front line work that drives home the message to get America's children buckled up.

As we stand on the brink of a new century and a new millennium, we must remain ever visionary and vigilant in our commitment to safety. While we have made great strides in increasing seat belt use, we will not be satisfied until everyone, every time, buckles up.

Partnerships like Operation ABC are changing driver behavior. America is hearing and heeding our message to buckle up. Working together -- moving from strength to strength -- our nation’s best days are yet to come. Thank you very much.

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Source:  U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)