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Main
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National
Background
Taking
Responsibility
The
National Goals
The National Strategy
The Four Point Plan
Specific Activities to Implement the National Strategy
Reporting
and Recognition
Funding
Executive Order
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President
Clinton's Directive
In
his weekly radio address to the nation on December 28, 1996, President
Clinton asked all Americans to always wear seat belts as a first line
of defense against traffic injuries and fatalities and to always keep
children, ages 12 and under, buckled in the back seat where they are safest.
On January 23, 1997, the President directed the Secretary of Transportation
to prepare a plan to increase the use of seat belts nationwide.
The
President directed the Secretary to work with Congress, the states, and
other concerned groups, including the automobile and insurance industries
and safety and consumer groups, to develop the plan. He further directed
that the plan address:
- state
laws that require the use of seat belts;
- assistance
from the Department of Transportation to improve these state laws; and
- a
comprehensive education campaign by the public and private sectors to
help the public understand the need to wear seat belts.
The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as the lead agency in developing
the plan, met with and solicited input from Members of Congress, other Federal
agencies, the states, the private sector, including automobile manufacturers
and insurers, and many other groups and organizations. The plan presented
here is based on their advice and on a solid foundation of research and
practical experience with strategies to increase seat belt use. |