PRESS RELEASE


Contact: Olha Rybakoff, Deputy Attorney General 
Director, Consumer Protection Unit 
Phone: (302) 577-8513 

Date: May 22, 2002 

Delaware Attorney General Jane Brady Reminds Drivers to Have a "Safe Trip" This Summer 

Public Service Campaign Highlights the Importance of Proper Tire Maintenance

(Dover, DE) - In an effort to heighten public awareness and to make travel safer in Delaware, Attorney General M. Jane Brady today unveiled a public service campaign highlighting the importance of proper tire maintenance. The "Safe Trip" campaign delivers the message that safe travel starts with safe tires, and that means checking tire pressure before hitting the road. 

"Improper tire inflation results in thousands of accidents each year," said Attorney General Brady. "As we approach the Memorial Day holiday weekend and the official start of the summer travel season, we want to remind drivers that proper tire maintenance can save lives." 

Overloaded vehicles and improperly inflated tires can lead to accidents – especially in hot weather. 

Brady encouraged all car owners to perform three simple steps 

check tire pressure monthly when tires are cool, 
keep tires inflated to the recommended pressure, 
check tire tread monthly. 
-more-
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately 41,730 people were killed and 3,031,000 were 
injured on the nation’s public roads and highways in the year 2001. NHTSA estimates that proper tire inflation could help save about 50 to 80 lives and prevent about 6,600 to 10,600 injuries each year. 

A NHTSA study found that about one of every four passenger cars on U.S. roadways are driving with one or more substantially under-inflated tires. NHTSA found that 27 percent of cars and 32 percent of vans, pickups and sport-utility vehicles had at least one under-inflated tire. And 8 percent of light trucks and 3 percent of cars had all four tires under-inflated. 

A study in 1996 by the American Automobile Association found similar results: Of the 6,200 cars it inspected to determine whether drivers had prepared their cars and trucks for summer, almost half had worn or under-inflated tires. 

The "Safe Trip" campaign is a nationwide public awareness campaign on tire safety. The campaign features television and radio ads, which will air nationwide around the three peak summer travel holidays: Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. The ads warn drivers to make sure they aren’t putting themselves and their families at risk, because "even if your tires look fine, it doesn’t mean they’re properly inflated – so take a minute to check them out." 

Funding for the "Safe Trip" campaign was set aside as part of the settlement reached in November 2001 by the Attorneys General from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia and Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. 

A website containing information about tire safety and the importance of proper tire inflation has been established at www.safetrip.org. 



EDITOR'S NOTE: Master copies of the Safe Trip campaign television and radio ads are available from this office. CD with 60 seconds PSA and TV ad in both Beta and VHS format are available.