Petition to Slow Trucks Down!

Steve Owings waved farewell on Thanksgiving weekend 2002 to his sons Cullum and Pierce. On the trip back to Washington and Lee University, a speeding semi-truck plowed into the back of the young man’s car, killing Cullum instantly. Since then, Owings has been on a mission to make America’s roads safer. Out of that family tragedy has sprung a non-profit movement called Road Safe America aimed at saving lives. Owings tells his emotional story and ask you to go online to http://www.RoadSafeAmerica.org www.RoadSafeAmerica.org before March 27th to support a special petition. The petition calls for the U.S. Department of Transportation to require electronic speed governors set at 68 mph or less on all trucks manufactured post 1990 and weighing more than 26,000 pounds. Owings has built an unlikely coalition, including alliances with the American Trucking Association and some of the nation’s largest truck companies, to make highway safety a reality. 5,000 people a year die in accidents involving large trucks. Federal petition seeks to have electronic speed governors set at a maximum 68 mph on all large trucks The U.S. Department of Transportation announced January 26 that a petition filed jointly by Road Safe America and a consortium of trucking industry leaders, including Schneider National Inc. and nine other motor carriers is open for public comment. The proposed regulation would affect trucks weighing more than 26,000 lbs. manufactured after 1990 (in 1991 speed governors became standard equipment). It would require electronic speed governors to be set at no more than 68 mph. The public comment period ends on March 27, 2007. The 80-mph commercial truck has no place on our highways said Steve Owings, who co-founded Road Safe America in honor of his 22-year-old son, Cullum, who died when his vehicle was rear-ended by a speeding truck. Road Safe America is calling on the driving public to support this lifesaving regulation by filing their comments with The U.S. Department of Transportation immediately (accessible through http://www.roadsafeamerica.org www.roadsafeamerica.org ). The docketing of this proposed rule offers a rare opportunity for all Americans to make their voices heard and save lives on our highways. Co-petitioners include Schneider National Inc., C.R. England Inc., H.O. Wolding Inc., ATS Intermodal LLC, Dart Transit Company, J. B. Hunt Transport Inc., U.S. Xpress Inc., Covenant Transport Inc., Jet Express Inc., and Dupre Transport LLC. The petition was originally filed on Sept. 11, 2006. Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Association (ATA), has already submitted a letter of support for this measure. It is shameful that people in this country must live in fear when using the very highways they pay for with their own tax dollars Owings continued. Restricting trucks to 68-miles-per-hour is a way Americans can stand up and say we’re not going to be afraid anymore. It’s time to be heard and I hope everyone who understands the urgency of this critical issue will let our government know that it’s essential to slow speeding trucks down and to do it now. Atlanta-based Road Safe America is working to make our highways safer by reducing the number of collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles. Many trucks travel at dangerously high speeds, making it impossible for them to stop safely in an emergency. Road Safe America is working toward a national rule that requires operational speed governors in trucks, limiting them to 68 miles an hour, with serious consequences for violators. Passenger vehicles are responsible for many tractor-trailer accidents, as well. Therefore, Road Safe America also works to educate the driving public on how to safely share the road with large trucks. For more information, please visit http://www.roadsafeamerica.org www.roadsafeamerica.org . For passenger cars, many crashes between tractor-trailer trucks and passenger cars can be avoided by following these safety tips. Be extra alert as you approach a large truck. They behave very differently from cars. Avoid blind spots around trucks. If you can’t see a truck’s side mirrors, the truck driver can’t see you. One-third of all crashes between large trucks and cars take place in the blind spots around a truck. Do not pass a truck on the right while the truck is turning right. Trucks must swing wide to the left to negotiate right turns safely, as the rear wheels follow a shorter path than the front wheels. Do not cut in front of any large vehicle, including a truck or a bus. Since they require much more distance to stop in comparison to cars, forcing a large vehicle to stop quickly can result in a fatal accident. Use the proper procedure to pass a large truck or bus on the highway. Accelerate slightly and maintain a consistent speed while passing. Wait until you can see the entire cab in your rear-view mirror before signaling and pulling in front of it. Observe a truck’s turn signals before trying to pass it. If the truck appears to be starting a left turn, check which way the driver is signaling before passing the truck on the right. Give trucks at least four to six seconds of space in wet conditions and at highway speeds. Call authorities if you see unsafe driving. Do not cut off a truck in traffic or on the highway to reach your exit or turn.