Crash Victims Act For Safety
October, 2015
Especially with this congress all crash victims – past, present, and future need this kind of citizen activism. See Media advisory below.
MEDIA ADVISORY
TRUCK CRASH VICTIMS URGE CONGRESS TO PUT BRAKES ON TRUCKING INDUSTRY AGENDA ON EVE OF KEY VOTE
New Report on Truck Crash Fatalities Released
WHAT: News Conference – On the eve of a House mark-up of the highway funding bill, nearly 70 truck safety victims and their families in town for Truck Safety Coalition’s Sorrow to Strength conference call on Congress to urge they reject anti-truck safety provisions contained in the transportation reauthorization legislation. The Truck Safety Coalition will also release a new report ranking the states on truck crash fatalities.
Truck safety advocates from CA, FL, GA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, NY, OK, PA, NC, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA and Washington, DC are available for interviews.
WHEN: Monday, October 19, 2015, 10 a.m.
WHERE: 2168 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
WHO: Dawn King (Davisburg, MI) Dawn’s father, Bill Badger, was killed on December 23, 2004, just over the Georgia state border, by a tired trucker who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into his car. She is the President of the Truck Safety Coalition.
Jane Mathis (St. Augustine, FL) On March 25, 2004, Jane’s 23-year-old son, David and his wife Mary Kathryn, were killed in a truck crash in Titusville, Florida as they drove home from their honeymoon.They had only been married for five days. Jane is the Vice President of the Truck Safety Coalition.
Santiago Calderon (Oxnard, CA) On April 10, 2014, Santiago was on a chartered tour bus loaded with 44 Southern California high school students bound for Humboldt State University’s Preview Plus program when a FedEx double tractor-trailer crashed into them leaving 5 students and 5 adults dead.
Morgan Lake (Laurel, MD) On July 19, 2013, Morgan’s car was hit from behind by a distracted truck driver while slowed to a near stop for traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, traveling at approximately 50 mph.
Joan Claybrook, Chair, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and former Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Some of the major safety rollbacks demanded by special trucking interests are:
· FedEx Double 33s – Increases double trailers from 28 feet per trailer to 33 feet per trailer and forces states to allow these 84-foot trucks.
· 91,000lb Trucks – Raises the federal truck weight limit from 80,000lb to 91,000lb.
· Truck Driver Hours of Service – Allows classes of truck drivers to apply for greater hours of service exemptions.
· Minimum Insurance – Increases the hurdles for rulemaking on increasing motor carrier minimum insurance for the first time since they were set 35 years ago.
· Teenage Truck Drivers – Permits 18-20 year old drivers to get behind the wheels of 80,000-lb trucks and drive across state lines.
· FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) – hides tax-payer funded data, like CSA ratings, all seven BASICS scores and related safety analysis, from the general public
The Truck Safety Coalition is a partnership between Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT). The Truck Safety Coalition is dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by truck-related crashes, providing compassionate support to truck crash survivors and families of truck crash victims, and educating the public policy-makers and media about truck safety issues. The biennial Sorrow to Strength conference brings together families for workshops on truck safety issues, advocacy, social media, grief and enforcement.
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