Author Archives: Road Safe America

Drive Safer Sunday is November 29 – Reminds Drivers of Special Danger on Year’s Busiest Travel Day

Drive Safer Sunday

ATHENS, Ga., Nov. 23, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- The 11th annual observance of Drive Safer Sunday on November 29, 2015 reminds Americans taking holiday road trips to focus on being rested and attentive to dangers inside and outside their cars, says Road Safe America.

Drive Safer Sunday falls on what is traditionally the busiest highway travel day of the year - the Sunday following Thanksgiving. It has been recognized, again this year, prompted by an official Resolution from the U.S. Senate.

The observance is sponsored by Road Safe America, a non-profit dedicated to reducing collisions between tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles. Steve Owings and his wife, Susan, founded Road Safe America in 2003 after their son, Cullum, was killed when his car - stopped in an interstate traffic jam - was crushed from behind by a speeding tractor trailer going eight miles per hour above the posted speed limit on cruise control. That crash occurred on the Sunday after Thanksgiving as Cullum returned to college after spending the week at home in Atlanta with his family and friends.

"The Sunday after Thanksgiving will always be a painful one for our family," Steve Owings said. "But we hope that by raising awareness of the dangers of holiday travel, other lives will be spared and other families will not have to deal with needless, tragic loss."

U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show that, among the 40,000 average highway deaths each year during the past decade, over 500 are truckers and about 4,000 are auto drivers and passengers involved in collisions with big trucks.

RSA reminds everyone traveling during Thanksgiving - and the Christmas and New Year's holidays to come - to:

- Get plenty of rest before setting out and take frequent breaks to remain alert.

- Consider driving during off-peak travel hours to minimize congestion.

- Avoid unnecessary distractions behind the wheel - including loud sound systems and the use of any hand-held devices. Remember that in many states, a hand-held phone - and particularly texting behind the wheel - has become illegal.

- Give large trucks plenty of room since they can't see as well, maneuver as quickly, or stop in the same distance as passenger vehicles can.

Learn more at: http://www.roadsafeamerica.org/.

Road Safe America: PO Box 191502, Atlanta, GA 31119-1502.

Twitter: @RoadSafeAmerica #DriveSaferSunday

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/drive-safer-sunday-is-november-29-reminds-drivers-of-special-danger-on-year-s-busiest-travel-day-2015-1123-04.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Road Safe America :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2015 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.

Road Safe America Applauds Resolution on Commercial Truck Safety by the US Conference of Mayors

highway safety

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 24, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Road Safe America applauds the passage of a resolution on commercial trucking by the U.S. Conference of Mayors at their 83rd Annual Meeting today.

The resolution calls for collision avoidance requirements for Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV), elimination of legal Schedule II opioid drug use by HCV drivers, and a deadline for raising the minimum insurance requirements for the trucking industry.

"It's a tragedy when people are hurt or killed in needless crashes with heavy big-rigs," said Steve Owings, President and co-founder of Road Safe America. "Support by the U.S. Conference of Mayors is helping to raise awareness of this important issue and helps gain additional national support, and for that, we are very grateful."

Over 4,000 motorists die annually in HCV involved crashes and over 100,000 are injured. Approximately 1,000 HCV crashes occur daily in the United States, each one resulting in a multi-hour economic paralysis event.

The use of comprehensive collision avoidance systems has been shown to effectively help avoid the most violent type of truck crashes, when trucks drive into the back of passenger vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that requiring this technology would be extremely cost-effective.

It is currently legal to operate a tractor-trailer while using schedule II opioids, with verbal, undocumented, permission from the prescribing professional. The Large Truck Crash Causation Study conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that the most commonly cited contributing factor when a truck driver was seen as contributing to a crash was prescription drug use.

The insurance minimum of $750,000 per crash was set in 1980 and has never been increased, even for inflation. The effect of this minimum requirement has diminished significantly as inflation has occurred, which is especially dangerous since trucking occurs 100% of the time on public roads.

Road Safe America applauds the U.S. Conference of Mayors for addressing these important issues that impact truck safety. The resolution was passed by unanimous voice vote.

Road Safe America is dedicated to reducing the injuries and deaths resulting from collisions between tractor-trailer trucks and passenger vehicles by effecting change to improve safety on America's Roadways. RSA is supported by private donations and has no financial ties to the transportation industry. The organization is pro-safety. Steve Owings and his wife, Susan, founded Road Safe America in 2003 after their son, Cullum, was killed when his car - stopped in an interstate traffic jam - was crushed from behind by a speeding tractor trailer going eight miles per hour above the posted speed limit on cruise control. Since that tragic event, Steve and Susan have worked to make our highways safer for all travelers.

For more information: http://www.roadsafeamerica.org/.

Twitter: @RoadSafeAmerica

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/road-safe-america-applauds-resolution-on-commercial-truck-safety-by-the-us-conference-of-mayors-2015-0624-03.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Road Safe America :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2015 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.