©1999 SpeedCenter Publishing
two-day national safety conference
Washington D.C. - When an occupation involves driving a racecar capable of
speeds more than 240 mph, safety is always on the mind. Target/Chip Ganassi Racing driver
Jimmy Vasser joined 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams and Transportation Secretary
Rodney E. Slater at the National Townhall Meeting in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, March 2
to discuss the importance of safety in his job and how all Americans can be safer on the
streets.
To begin the National Town Hall Meeting, Secretary Slater invited
an unprecedented coalition of mayors, citizens and community leaders from Detroit,
San Francisco and Washington D.C. to join him via satellite and "Sign on for Safety"
by promising to: be alert and stay sober, buckle up and use child safety seats; stay
in control and respect speed limits; obey all signs, signals, instructions and safety
rules; and avoid all safety and security risks. "It was an honor and an eye-opening experience to be part of the safety
conference," said Vasser, who won the 1996 CART championship for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing -
"I'm not kidding when I say that I feel safer driving on a track than down the street due
to our advanced safety technology, routines and efforts. I look forward to working with
Target, Secretary Slater and the other officials in attendance to share ways to make America
safer." In addition to Vasser and Williams, Team Target owner Chip Ganassi
joined the discussion and lent some expertise on driving safety. "After experiencing a serious closed head injury as a driver
in the early '80s, I know the value of making safety the number one priority for
myself, my family, my team and CART," said Ganassi, whose Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
team is seeking its fourth consecutive CART title in 1999. "The opportunity to meet
with Secretary Slater and the other officials in attendance was tremendous, and I
hope to explore more ways for CART and my racing team to work for this national push
for safety." Each year in the United States, approximately 44,500 people
die and another 3.4 million are injured as a result of transportation-related
injuries. While significant progress has been made to reduce these numbers, the U.S.
Department of Transportation is committed to seeking new and innovative solutions.
(from left to right) CART CEO Andrew Craig, Chip Ganassi, Ricky Williams,
Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater and Jimmy Vasser at the National
Safety Conference in Washington D.C. on March 2. (PR NewsFoto)
Source: Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
