66.2 589 Page Hon. Anthony J. Celebrezze, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Hon. John T. Connor, Secretary of Commerce, and Chairman, Interde- E. H. Cox, Chief, Section of Motor Carrier Safety, Interstate Commerce William S. Foulis, Executive Director, the President's Committee for Hon. John A. Gronouski, Postmaster General, Post Office Department. Gen. Alfred M. Gruenther, member, the President's Committee for Paul V. Joliet, Chief, Division of Accident Prevention, Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.... Lawson B. Knott, Jr., Acting Administrator of General Services Adminis- Edward B. Landry, Director of Safety, Post Office Department_ Daniel P. Moynihan, Assistant Secretary, Department of Labor.. Richard J. Murphy, Assistant Postmaster General for Personnel, Post Hon. Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from the State of Wisconsin__ George C. Nield, Office of Research and Engineering, Post Office Depart- 2. Remarks by Senator Gaylord Nelson before the Federal Trade Com- mission on the marketing of automobile tires, January 13, 1965-.. 3. Post Office Department rural carriers: plan of proposed car.. 4. Post Office Department safety program: Comprehensive material 5. Post Office Department: Motor vehicle accident tort claims cost---- 6. Reflecting disk (stainless steel) mirror for improved front view vision at 10. Statement prepared by William Randolph Hearst, Jr.- How the President's Committee for Traffic Safety functions_ Accident Trends: Excerpted from the Action Program-A Report Task group meeting-National Safety Council Traffic Conference to study the feasibility and method of developing a long-range plan to accelerate implementation of the highway safety action 18. Traffic accident PHS research grant projects, fiscal years 1957–65.. 24. Passenger car design and highway safety- 25. Epidemic on the highways.. 26. Report and recommendation: Subcommittee on Government Em- ployee Safe Driving Standards to Committee on Safe Driving Standards Advisory Council, President's Committee for Traffic 29. Motor carrier safety program.. 30. The Federal program in highway safety. 31. Management survey of safety organizational structure. 32. The great odometer mystery. 34. Abandonment of tire endurance test by National Bureau of Standards_ 35. Statement prepared by Rex. M. Whitton, Federal Highway Adminis- trator, Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Commerce.. 38. The American Association of State Highway Officials Manual for Signing and Pavement Marking of the National System of Interstate 41. Statement prepared by Stephen N. Shulman, Deputy Assistant Secre- tary of Defense (Civilian Personnel, Industrial Relations, and Civil 42. Department of Defense: Inventory of Traffic Safety activities.. 43. Department of Defense: Commission on Accidental Trauma 44. Department of Army: Safe operation of truck, utility, 1⁄4 ton, M151-- 45. Commission on Military Accidents: Director's summary report to the FEDERAL ROLE IN TRAFFIC SAFETY (Pursuant to S. Res. 56, 89th Cong.) MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1965 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EXECUTIVE REORGANIZATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:45 a.m., in room 1318, New Senate Office Building, Senator Abraham Ribicoff (chairman), presiding. Present: Senators Ribicoff, Simpson, and Montoya. Also present: Jerome Sonosky, staff director, and Constance Greess, chief clerk. Senator RIBICOFF. The Subcommittee on Executive Reorganization will begin its hearings on the Federal role in traffic safety. And I would like to make a short statement. STATEMENT OF HON. ABRAHAM RIBICOFF, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT Senator RIBICOFF. Today we begin a long-range series of hearings on the role of the Federal Government in the field of traffic safety. We intend to examine and review from top to bottom those agencies--both public and private-Federal, State, and local-which direct and support the Nation's traffic safety efforts. Two main points stand out clearly after an examination of the existing situation. VAST EXTENT OF TRAFFIC SAFETY "ESTABLISHMENT" First, the vast extent of the so-called traffic safety establishment. It extends from the local police station to community safety councils to State traffic safety commissions and to the White House itself. In the Federal Government alone some 16 separate agencies have some traffic safety responsibility or role. The key Federal agencies will be testifying in this opening round of hearings. We will examine the efficiency, economy and interagency coordination aspects of these various programs. We will endeavor to establish exactly what the present Federal role in traffic safety is, how much is expended to support it, how it might duplicate and overlap, and how it might be improved. CARNAGE CONTINUES DESPITE SAFETY CAMPAIGNS The second main point is that despite the efforts of the past-despite massive safety campaigns both public and private the awful carnage on our roads and streets continues and worsens. There is no doubt that since the invention of the internal combustion engine we have practiced an unbelievable form of national selfdestruction. In the past minute 20 accidents have taken place. One-half hour from now three Americans will be dead who right now are alive. And for every half hour of this day and the days to follow three more human beings will lose their lives on our Nation's roads and streets. The preliminary 1964 National Safety Council statistics, which try in hard cold numbers to describe our annual toll of suffering, misery, and death resulting from our highways, show that we have again set a record. As a result of traffic accidents which occurred in 1964, 47,800 people have already died, and before the records are closed the total is expected to exceed 48,000 which is 10 percent more than 1963 fatalities which numbered 43,400. What is even more significant is that the deaths per 100 million miles traveled rose from 5.3 in 1962 to 5.5 in 1963 to 5.7 in 1964. If the current increase in the traffic fatality rate continues, deaths will rise to 100,000 a year by 1975. We are spending more than $1 billion to assure the safety of the three men who will occupy the space capsule that goes to the moon. This is as it should be. Their safety is of prime importance. But one wonders about a Nation that is willing to expend $1 billion to get three men to the moon but is seemingly unwilling to expend even one onehundredth of that amount to protect its 190 million citizens from death or injury on our roads and streets. Having stated the traffic safety problem, the question becomes, first, what are we doing about it, and second, what can we do about it? ROLE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IMPORTANT I think it is time we took a close look at the role of the Federal Government in this field. The manner in which the Federal Government is carrying out its responsibility is of vital importance to the overall national effort to reduce traffic accidents. It can lead and give proper direction or it can foot-drag and stagnate. We will determine if the latter now exists and make certain the former becomes a reality. There has been a lot of talk, for a long period of time. Now is the time for responsible and positive action nationwide. Our first witness is our colleague, Senator Gaylord Nelson, of Wisconsin. I welcome Senator Nelson for his deep and vital interest in this entire subject, not only as a Senator, but as one of the Nation's outstanding Governors who had a chance of seeing this problem close up, and who as a Governor took a leading role to try to protect the people of Wisconsin. Since Gaylord Nelson has been with the U.S. Senate, he has kept his interest in this field and has made many constructive suggestions, We welcome Senator Gaylord Nelson as the first witness before our committee. |