Toolkit: Sample Proclamation

October 10, 2008 has been declared Put The Brakes On Fatalities Day by the (TITLE OR NAME OF CITY, COUNTY, STATE OR ORGANIZATION);

WHEREAS,

Traffic crashes cause about 43,000 fatalities each year and are the leading cause of death for people ages three 2 to 34;

WHEREAS,

In 2006, more that half (55%) of passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes were unrestrained; however 425 children under the age of 5 were saved as a result of child restraint use.

WHEREAS,

Alcohol-related crashes account for 41 percent of all traffic fatalities;

WHEREAS,

Poor road conditions and obsolete roadways contribute to more than 15,000 highway deaths annually;

WHEREAS,

The economic cost alone of motor vehicle crashes in 2000 was $230 billion. Deaths and injuries on U.S. highways cost society over $150 billion annually;

WHEREAS,

Safer driving behaviors such as the use of seat belts, not drinking and driving and obeying traffic laws would dramatically reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths;

WHEREAS,

The use of cost-effective roadway safety improvements such as all-weather signing and markings, traffic signals, skid resistant pavements and removal of roadside hazards could also greatly reduce the number of traffic crashes;

WHEREAS,

The continued development of safer vehicles and protective traffic safety equipment such as helmets will enhance people's ability to protect themselves and their families from preventable and tragic permanent injuries and deaths;