WASHINGTON – New rules proposed today will improve motorcycle safety by making it easier for riders to identify and use effective helmets, instead of unsafe “novelty helmets, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. The proposal will also make it harder for riders to use novelty helmets in states that require DOT-certified helmets, she said.

Commissioner Larry R. Soward, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Senator Kirk Watson, and Kyle Ward, executive director of Texas PTA gathered at the state capitol this morning to encourage school districts to clean up their school bus fleets through retrofits or propane-powered buses in an effort to protect the health of schoolchildren.

WASHINGTON – More Americans are buckling up than ever before, with 83 percent of vehicle occupants using seatbelts during daylight hours, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today. In 2007, 82 percent used seat belts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging owners of certain Ford, Lincoln and Mercury SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, and passenger cars to take their vehicles to a local dealership for a corrective repair.