Joe Cindrich: My name is Dr. Joe Cindrich, the regional administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Someone mentioned NHTSA. That's NHTSA. I thank you for holding these hearings and I appreciate the invitation to be here to oppose AB-244. You've heard a lot of testimony about the significant contributions and all the data and so forth, but because of your legislative leadership that California has demonstrated to have one of the most effective traffic safety programs in the country with regard to seatbelt usage and your drinking driving laws and your helmet laws and so forth and so on.

The other thing that I just wanted to touch on was on some of the data we've touched on, just between 1991 and 1995, prior to the helmet law, 512 fatals. In 1995, 260. That's a reduction of almost 50%. So the data kinda speaks for itself or however you want to do it. And on March the first, I sent my letters of testimony and about a fifteen or twenty page report, so therefore I would be redundant in saying everything I have to say.

But one last thing I do want to say that of the states that have repealed their helmet laws and then they came back, what I wanted to say was six states experiences; Oregon a 36% reduction in fatals. Nebraska a 32% reduction the first year after the enacted their helmet law. Texas experienced a 23% reduction in fatals the first year of it's helmet law. And Maryland 20% and California and so it goes on and on, the states that have helmet laws have a significant reduction and the data speaks for itself which I have sent.

Senator Kelley: Alright, the next witness please, if you'd be brief.

Next Speaker | Back to Speaker's List