November 28th has been designated by the U.S. Senate as Drive Safer Sunday for 2010. The tradition began in 2005, in memory of Cullum Owings, a Georgia college student who was killed in a trucking accident on his way back to school from visiting his parents for Thanksgiving in 2002. Due to holiday travelers, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest highway traffic day of the year. That also makes it a day when many individuals and families are killed in accidents, including trucking accidents.
In July, 2003, just a few months after Cullen’s death, his parents Steve and Susan Owings of Atlanta, Georgia, founded Concerned Americans Advocating Roadway Safety (CAAIRS), which later became Road Safe America (RSA). RSA encourages all drivers to drive more safely including those of passenger vehicles and truckers alike. It also pushes for legislation to make the tucking industry safer.
RSA is unique as an advocate for public safety because it not only asks for tougher restrictions on the trucking industry; it also recognizes the value of truck drivers and the real-life incentives that encourage truckers to drive dangerously and illegally. While it pushes for safety devices such as governors that render trucks incapable of driving over a certain speed, and black box-like devices to replace log books, it also pushes for better pay for truck drivers.
RSA believes that we should start treating truck drivers more like airline pilots; that includes better training, monitoring their health more closely, and allowing them less time behind the wheel. RSA’s view is that truck drivers should also be paid more like pilots, giving them the incentive and financial flexibility to choose to drive more safely.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a trucking accident, please contact us today. Your initial consultation is free, and we work on a contingency fee basis so you don’t pay unless you get paid.
