WASHINGTON, March 18, 2009 — "There's a new sheriff in town and it's you," says Alvin Butler, President of TTI, Inc., a national organization with a new program that targets high-risk drivers by placing "How's My Driving?" bumper stickers on their cars. Much like Neighborhood Watch programs have done for street crimes, TTI, Inc. plans to use citizen advocacy to enforce our highways to reduce car crashes and save lives.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports, "One third of all accidents and two thirds of all vehicle related fatalities are caused by aggressive drivers." In a recent study the AAA released information that was compiled by the Maryland-based Cambridge Systematics, Inc. which shows that 6.8 million car crashes cost our country 164.2 billion dollars in repair costs each year; however, the real tragedy is nearly 43,000 people dying in car crashes every year. That is approximately 117 per day or 5 deaths by car crashes every hour! If this was a disease, it would be considered a national epidemic and worth preventing!
Butler says aggressive, unsafe driving is a major part of the problem, while other factors include inattentiveness, driving while impaired, and fatigue. "We've made cars safer, lowered speed limits, put black boxes in vehicles, improved highway lighting, instituted graduated license programs for teens and still haven't substantially decreased the number of crashes, injuries or deaths. It's time for the people to take back the streets."
Twenty-three percent of teenagers and twenty-one percent of fleet drivers are in crashes each year. The program encourages MVA, judges and insurance carriers to require How's My Driving? monitoring for these and all "high-risk" drivers, because the solution is accountability.
The Great West Casualty Company, a leader in fleet safety, studied 78 trucking companies and found that in the two years after they implemented How's My Driving? programs, accident frequency dropped by 53%. Other studies have shown similar results.
Insurance companies have been studying this for years and the studies are conclusive. How's My Driving? programs save lives and money. They show that fleet drivers that know they can be reported drive safer and are more responsible. "It's time to take it one step further and give that same attitude adjustment to all high-risk drivers," says Butler.
This unique program does not require reporting a number on a sign but uses the vehicle's license plate as the identifying number. It, therefore, allows any driver to report any other unsafe driver. Knowing this changes the attitude of unsafe drivers.
Butler estimates that if every state implemented "How's My Driving? For Everyone" the annual benefits would exceed 57 billion dollars per year and save over 14,000 lives. "We welcome questions and support from others interested in reducing the cost of unsafe driving in dollars and lives.
For more information and a cost savings by state, contact:
Alvin Butler, President
TTI, Inc.
Email
office 301-617-4260
fax 301-617-8705
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