Nearly 1 in 7 people admitted to the Staten Island University Hospital Trauma Center is a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle. This is three-times the city-wide average and four-times the national average.

In response to this epidemic, Dr. Jeffrey Nicastro, MD, Director of Trauma, Michael Temperino, Clinical Coordinator and colleagues from Staten Island University Hospital, City Councilmembers James Oddo and Michael McMahon, Transportation Alternatives, advertising agency Y&R in New York and Kinetic Worldwide have designed a hard hitting public education campaign to combat one of the most deadly, destructive and dangerous driver behaviors, speeding.

Nearly one third of all fatal traffic collisions involve speeding vehicles and numerous studies link speeding to other dangerous driver behaviors such as failure to yield, aggressive driving, unsafe lane changing, inattentiveness, and failure to yield right of way.

A public education campaign that reveals the consequences of speeding in a powerful way can save lives and encourage increased enforcement and improved engineering on roads throughout the five boroughs.

"The Federal Highway and Traffic Safety Association already refers to traffic crashes as a public health epidemic, the numbers on Staten Island reflect a full scale outbreak," says Graham Beck Campaign Coordinator at Transportation Alternatives, "this public education campaign is a big step in the right direction."

About Y&R
Y&R, a division of Young & Rubicam Brands, was founded in 1923 and is one of the world’s leading full-service consumer advertising agencies. Y&R counts among its clients some of the world’s most prestigious global corporations, including Bacardi, Campbell’s Soup Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Hilton Hotels, Ford Motor Company, Telefonica, Xerox Corporation, and Virgin Airlines.

About Kinetic Worldwide
Kinetic Worldwide is the leading global independent planner and buyer of Out of Home media with offices in over 35 countries and billings in excess of $2 billion. 50% of Kinetic is owned by WPP Group plc, one of the largest global communications companies. Clients include: Accenture, Campbell Soup Co., Cadbury Schweppes, Colgate Palmolive, Chanel, Chevron, Cingular, Citibank, E&J Gallo and Sony Ericsson. For further information, visit us at www.kineticww.com.

About Councilmember James Oddo
Councilman Oddo was first elected to the City Council in 1999. He was elected the body's Minority Leader in 2002. During his time in office, he has passed common sense legislation, allocated millions of dollars for various causes throughout his district, including our schools, parks, health care services, and for transportation improvements. He has been an independent voice for common sense and fiscal responsibility.

About Councilmember Michael McMahon
Since January 1, 2002, Council Member Michael E. McMahon has represented the North Shore of Staten Island. He is Chairman of the Council's Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management and has led the fight to keep the Fresh Kills Dump closed. In addition, he has become a leading voice in the Council in the fight to save recycling and preserve the long-term success of the program. In his district, McMahon has been a leading voice in the battle over unplanned development and a lack of city services. He helped spearhead the 2003 Staten Island down-zoning. In November of 2003, he was overwhelmingly re-elected to another term.

About Staten Island University Hospital
Staten Island University Hospital, a 785-bed, tertiary care, teaching healthcare system is a recognized leader in the innovation of technology-based medicine. Founded in 1861, the Hospital today is a member of the North Shore - Long Island Jewish Health System and enjoys numerous academic and clinical affiliations and accreditations, including JCAHO accreditation. The Hospital was recently named among the nation's best hospitals for quality in a government study by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

About Transportation Alternatives
Transportation Alternatives is a 5500-member NYC-area non-profit citizens group working for better bicycling, walking and public transit, and less traffic. T.A. works for safer, calmer streets and car-free parks.