Category Archives: Transportation

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

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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®.

EPIC creates ‘Panda-monium’ in the Insurance Business

risk management

ATLANTA, Ga., March 10, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property & casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced that they have added Panda Mortality and Transit Insurance to a growing list of specialty risk management products and consulting services that the rapidly growing national firm provides.

Zoo Atlanta is a long-time client of EPIC's Dan Houston, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Last month, Houston was presented with a unique opportunity to assist the Zoo with insurance protection for some very special residents: giant pandas.

Zoo Atlanta is one of only four zoos in the U.S. housing giant pandas, which are an endangered species, and the iconic bears represent the Zoo's most significant conservation investment to date. Female Lun Lun and male Yang Yang arrived at the Zoo in 1999 on loan from China, and a total of five cubs have been born since 2006. The most recent of these are Mei Lun and Mei Huan, the only pair of giant panda twins in the U.S.

Per the Zoo's loan agreement with China, each of Lun Lun's and Yang Yang's offspring returns to China when he or she is of age. The twins' three older siblings, male Mei Lan, male Xi Lan, and female Po, now reside at China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Houston and Senior Account Manager Connie Draime, who design, place and manage all business insurance for the Zoo, recently added Panda Mortality Insurance to their program. This unique, manuscript coverage insures the pandas while at Zoo Atlanta as well as during their travels to China. The EPIC team also manages Transit Insurance Coverage for the giant pandas' journey to their parents' homeland.

EPIC's Panda Mortality Insurance Coverage was placed with Lloyd's of London, and both John Stoesser with IDEAL Marine and the Lloyd's of London underwriter Lorraine Mills visited the Zoo and the giant pandas during the coverage design and underwriting process.

To watch the Zoo's giant pandas on PandaCam presented by EarthCam or to read regular blog updates about the bears' daily care and milestones, visit: http://www.zooatlanta.org/pandacam/ .

Dan Houston has over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, plus broad experience with animals, both professionally and personally. In the past, Houston provided risk management and insurance services for CNN owner Ted Turner and his Bison ranches. Dan and his wife Virginia also co-own and operate Houston's Horse Farm in Canton, Georgia.

About EPIC:
Headquartered in San Francisco, EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants has nationwide presence with a depth of industry expertise across key lines of insurance, including commercial property and casualty, employee benefits, unique specialty program insurance, and private client services. Since its founding in 2007, EPIC has grown revenue from $5 million to $160 million through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions, and remains a fixture on the insurance industry's "Best Places to Work" lists. Its strategic partners include private equity firms The Carlyle Group and Stone Point Capital. To learn more, visit http://epicbrokers.com/ .

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NEWS SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants :: 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®.

5 Bars Communities Named Official Wireless Consultant for the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency’s 73 Toll Road

73 Toll Road

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2014 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- 5 Bars Communities(TM) announced today that it has been selected as the chief wireless consultant for the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency's 73 Toll Road.

5 Bars Communities(TM) will develop a Wireless Master Plan for the 73 Toll Road. The scope of the project includes benchmarking the existing coverage of the major wireless carriers, gaps in coverage, and the development of a comprehensive plan to ensure continuity of connectivity throughout the 15-mile toll road. The Master Plan is intended to improve cellular coverage for residents, commuters and local residents who use the 73 Toll Road and rely on their cell phones and wireless devices for business, recreation or emergencies. It is anticipated that the plan will include the use of "small cells" as opposed to full-scale macro cell sites.

"Our customers are primarily commuters who value time savings. Continual mobile phone usage is important to our drivers and we look forward to exploring how that can be accomplished," said Lisa Telles, Chief Communications Officer of the Transportation Corridor Agencies.

Amid growing demands for high-speed mobile broadband connectivity, the addition of strategically and sensitively placed cell sites on the 73 Toll Road will improve safety and provide added convenience for commuters.

The Master Plan will be developed based on projected 2020 wireless usage.

"The 73 Toll Road is a terrific amenity of Orange County and ubiquitous end to end wireless coverage is important for commuting efficiency and public safety," said CEO, John Clarey. "At 5 Bars Communities we believe that users of the toll road should be able to travel the entire 15 miles of the Toll Road without the threat of dropping a call. We look forward to developing a plan to bring state of the art connectivity to the 73."

About 73 Toll Road:
State Route 73 is a highway in Southern California, extending from the junction with the Interstate 405 in Irvine through the San Joaquin Hills to its junction with Interstate 5 in San Juan Capistrano. The entirety of the route is located in Orange County. The first three miles of the highway are the Corona del Mar Freeway; the next 12 miles of the 15, are a toll road operated by the San Joaquin Corridor. Its alignment follows an approximately parallel path between the Pacific Coast and the San Diego freeways.

SR 73 begins in San Juan Capistrano at an interchange with 1-5. The freeway heads northwest into the city of Laguna Niguel and continues into the city of Aliso Viejo before entering Laguna Beach, where SR 73 intersects SR 133. After leaving the state park, SR 73 straddles the border between Irvine and Newport Beach. Entering Costa Mesa, SR 73 interchanges with SR 55 before merging with I-405 and terminating the route.

About 5 Bars:
5 BARS(TM) is an Irvine, California based premier neutral host provider that delivers state-of-the-art DAS & Wi-Fi systems for communities, venues, stadiums and properties. Venues that carry the 5 BARS(TM) certification possess the highest standards of wireless connectivity.

About 5 Bars Media:
5 Bars Media provides in-venue applications delivered over the Wi-Fi network. Our app enterprise helps venues communicate and engage with guests through their mobile devices.

About 5 Bars Communities:
5 Bars Communities(TM) provides Municipal Wireless Master Planning and management of network infrastructure including cell tower, outdoor small cells and distributed antenna systems. The 5 Bars team has experience designing and developing over 500 wireless projects nationwide.

Notice to all RF Concealment Vendors:
5 Bars is requesting information from vendors who provide RF state-of-the-art concealment of small cell technologies, antennas and stealth structures. Please send information about your company and products to Raylene Gonzalez at raylene.gonzalez@5bars.com.

For more information about 5 Bars, please visit http://www.5bars.com/ .

Media Contact:
Raylene Gonzalez, 5Bars(TM)
(949) 294-5274
raylene.gonzalez@5bars.com

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NEWS SOURCE 5 Bars :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2014 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.