Rockefeller's Standards to Prevent Automobile Ejections Included in Landmark Transportation Bill

ROCKEFELLER'S STANDARDS TO PREVENT AUTOMOBILE EJECTIONS INCLUDED IN LANDMARK TRANSPORTATION BILL

DuPont's Parkersburg Plant Likely to Benefit from Greater Use of Its Safety Glass -

Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today announced that his provisions to reduce the thousands of serious injuries and deaths due to automobile passenger ejection accidents were included in the landmark $286 billion Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Rockefeller's provisions will also likely mean that the automobile safety glass manufactured at DuPont's Parkersburg plant will be in much greater demand.

"Providing better protection for drivers and their passengers should be a requirement, not an option," said Rockefeller. "The passage of these measures will literally save thousands of lives and prevent untold suffering to families. West Virginians and all Americans will be much safer on our roads once these changes take effect. The potential cost savings in taxes and insurance fees resulting from reduced injuries could be significant.

"DuPont's Washington Works in Parkersburg has already proven itself to be a national leader in providing tools for great automobile safety. As a result of this transportation bill, I believe that we'll see even more manufacturers buying DuPont's safety glass."

Rockefeller's provision requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to evaluate ways of preventing passenger ejections. Those findings will then be used for the creation of new vehicle standards for cars by 2009. Studies have shown that the safety glass improves the performance of airbags and helps prevent occupant ejection.

More than 13,000 people each year are seriously injured or killed in passenger ejections from automobiles each year. In 2003, 42,643 people nationwide and 394 West Virginians died in highway accidents. For Americans aged 1 to 34, traffic fatalities remain the leading cause of death.

As a result of the bill, West Virginia will average $404 million in annual road and highway construction federal funding over the next five years. That money will not only improve West Virginia's transportation system, but it will also create new jobs and bolster the Mountain State's economy.

The Senate passed the transportation bill late Friday after the House of Representatives passed it earlier in the day. President Bush is expected to sign the bill in the coming days.

http://rockefeller.senate.gov/news/2005/pr080105.html