Interpretation ID: nht92-7.2

DATE: May 15, 1992

FROM: Douglas Berg -- President, Ascend Productions

TO: NHTSA Legal Council

TITLE: None

ATTACHMT: Attached to letter dated 7/28/92 from Paul J. Rice to Douglas Berg (A39; Std. 125)

TEXT:

As highway safety authorities you are aware of the danger motorists are subjected to when they have a problem on the highway and must stop on the side of the road. Motorists and passengers run the risk of being hit by passing traffic or otherwise suffering further, when they are unable to exclaim their need for help. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. 45,000 injuries and 367 deaths occurred in the U.S. last year as motorists worked on there vehicle, walked for or awaited help.

No safe and effective means exists for motorists to communicate a distress. According to Phil Hartman of the American Automobile Association, 23 million out of the 32 million AAA members were in need of road service last year. That is over 70% or 2 in every 3 drivers.

We would greatly appreciate your recognition and support for Ascend Productions' HAZARD HELPER Safety Sign and Motorists Safety Program. Our hope is that this product and program represent the new standard of communication for motorists in distress. The HAZARD HELPER Safety Sign eliminates the ambiguity surrounding the unclear and dangerous situations when a motorist must stop, whether it be a medical emergency, a mechanical breakdown, a rest stop, or even to await for known assistance. This new standard will make driving safer and less worrisome for the millions of motorists who become disabled every year.

The HAZARD HELPER Safety Sign displays two universal symbols: On one side are two help needed symbols and on the other side, two hazard alert symbols. Two symbols are used so both direction of traffic are alerted with the same message. The American version of this product uses yellow retroreflective sheeting as a background to be consistent with current Federal highway (warning signage. The triangle is used universally to represent warning or hazard and is used to symbolize hazard alert for motorists. The help needed symbols compliment the current human-hazard road signage. The human-like figure universally personifies the nonverbal exclamation for help. These symbols are represented in black on the American version of this product to effectively contrast the yellow (warning) background. The European version of the HAZARD HELPER Safety Sign has red symbols on a white background.

We know that there are limits on the forms of advocacy or recognition that the NHTSA could give this sort of matter. We would truly appreciate any and all support for this Safety Program and Product. At the very least, a short letter written at your convenience, back to us at Ascend would help enormously in transforming this vision into reality as we begin to make the public and media aware of the HAZARD HELPER Safety Sign. Please call with any questions or comments at 1-800-972-6633, we would love to have your feedback.