[TELEGRAM] Hon. KENNETH A. ROBERTS, WASHINGTON, D.C., April 22, 1963. Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and Safety, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. The American Mutual Insurance Alliance, a trade association with a membership of approximately 120 mutual fire and casualty companies, whose home office is number 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, Ill., respectfully calls to your attention that due to the loose structure contained in the bill, H.R. 133, we believe it is subject to misinterpretation and that State and private agency activities will be duplicated by the Federal Government. We urge the committee to consider seriously the detrimental effect of any encroachment upon local government and private industry by the establishment of a Federal superstructure in the area of accident prevention. We request that this telegram be made a part of the record as expressing our views in opposition to H.R. 133. WALLACE M. SMITH, Manager, Midatlantic Office, American Mutual Insurance Alliance. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MOTOR BUS OWNERS, Hon. KENNETH A. ROBERTS, Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., April 8, 1963. DEAR CONGRESSMAN ROBERTS: We are writing you in regard to your bill, H.R. 133, which proposes the establishment of a National Accident Prevention Center. This association, which serves as spokesman for the intercity motorbus industry, is vitally interested in highway and employee safety. Our member carriers maintain extensive safety programs the effectiveness of which is apparent from the fact that the safety record of the intercity motorbus industry has shown steady improvement and is better than, or equal to, that of any other form of transportation. Directly and through our association, the industry supports and works closely with other organizations in the safety field such as the Automotive Safety Foundation, The President's Committee for Highway Safety and the National Safety Council. The ability of the Public Health Service to make major contributions to safety through research is widely recognized and, in our view, is an appropriate activity of the Federal Government. We are, however, disturbed by the breadth of the proposals set forth in H.R. 133, particularly with reference to their potential impact on the National Safety Council with which we are closely affiliated. A program on a relatively modest scale such as that proposed in subsections (1) through (4) of section 382 of the bill is, we believe, an appropriate Federal project. Most of the remainder of the proposals we believe are not appropriate because they would be certain to infringe on the activities of the many private organizations which are contributing so greatly to safety through public education and otherwise. It is our firm conviction that, except as to research contributions and enforcement where clearly in the public interest, safety activities should be carried on under private auspices and by government at the State and local levels and not by means of a substantial expansion of the Federal Government. This is particularly important with respect to the highly probable impact of these broad proposals on the activities of the National Safety Council. The council, now in its 50th year, performs with outstanding success many of the same functions encompassed in H.R. 133, pursuant to its charter, granted by the Congress under Public Law 83-259. The National Safety Council operates in every phase of the safety field. It receives the benefit of financial support as well as the serious personal efforts of representatives of every segment of the public, industry, and government including several Federal agencies. In addition to the impact of H.R. 133 on the actual operations of the council, the proposal in section 383 (b) poses a threat to the financial support which is essential to those operations. We respectfully urge, therefore, that any measure which may be enacted in this field be sufficiently restricted to prevent encroachment upon the activities or support of the National Safety Council, its affiliated State and local safety councils, and the numerous other outstanding private safety and related organizations. We shall very much appreciate it if this communication is incorporated in the record of the hearings on H.R. 133. Cordially yours, JAMES D. MANN, Secretary-Manager. Hon. PAUL G. ROGERS, Member of Congress, ST. PETERSBURG, FLA., April 1, 1963. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR SIR: Having been a founder member of the American Association for Automotive Medicine and the past president of the association, I have more than the usual knowledge of automobile safety and the problems connected to it. You are currently on the committee considering bill H.R. 133, known as the Roberts bill, to provide a national institute for the studying of all aspects of automobile safety and licensing procedures. I would first of all like to strongly urge that you support this bill and its passage and secondly that you give serious consideration to putting it in St. Petersburg. I was instrumental in getting the public health department to start a research program in St. Petersburg, this year, for the study of accidents in older people. This, of course, is not only pertaining to automobiles but also accidents in general. Dr. Lawton, who is currently heading it, has a large amount of knowledge on the entire subject of automobile safety and would probably head the new division, if the bill is passed. I think that the facilities here, with the possibility of purchasing the American Legion Hospital would provide him plenty of room. They are already getting a considerable amount of expensive and elaborate equipment for testing and this could be easily amplified. In addition, we have near at hand, Sebring with its annual race which provides an opportunity of studying large numbers of cars at speed. We are quite close to Daytona, with all of its testing possibilities for automobiles in any phase as well as its numerous races. I must point out that the current use of seat belts originated from racing. Please let me know if there are any questions that I could answer for you or if there are any further thoughts that I might help you with. Yours very truly, PAUL F. WALLACE, M.D. (Whereupon, at 11:30 a.m., the hearing, in the above-entitled matter, was recessed, subject to call.) о |