Two issues here: Distracted Driving and Underride. If distracted driving was a factor in the crash, that is so regrettable (and how many of us might be guilty of such foolish behavior?). But could effective underride protection on the school bus have changed the outcome?
The moral law of God requires us to love our neighbor by doing all in our power to safeguard his life and by refraining from any action that may endanger his life. The Guilt of Innocent Blood
So what does it mean when “we” are not doing all that is in our power to safeguard people from preventable underride?
[Shedding innocent blood, 2 Kings 24:4]
“we” = anyone who could take action to make sure that trucks have the best possible underride protection. Who might that include?
Fair Warning recently published an article on litigation related to the tobacco industry. Do you detect startling similarities to the disregard for human life by the trucking industry’s inaction on the underride problem?
Rosen said he expects to litigate tobacco cases for the foreseeable future. “To me these are the best cases to represent people and go up against an industry that has just completely disregarded human life and consumer safety,” he said. “The companies just look at their bottom line at the expense of consumers who didn’t really understand what they were getting into.” Florida Still a Dismal Swamp for Cigarette Makers Fighting Death and Injury Claims
Lois Durso and her friend Anita Bomgaars (injured in an underride crash in the 70s) are bringing the STOP Underrides! message & bumper stickers to the Sturgis, South Dakota, Motorcycle Rally.
We were excited to receive news on June 26 that the Road to Zero Coalition (RTZ) has published a Truck Underride Priority Statement on their website.
The Road to Zero Coalition is working to end preventable deaths on U.S. roadways by 2050. With that goal in mind, the Coalition is developing Safety Priority Statements that most – if not all – Coalition members can support.
We are thankful to the RTZ Steering Group for taking the time to discuss and approve this important means of providing a stronger voice for the vulnerable victims of truck underride.
Historically each and every holiday weekend, hundreds have died and thousands have suffered vehicle injuries. And all across the country emergency medical teams are activated to save people while often endangering themselves.
This article calls attention to GM OnStar’s latest ad campaign, NHTSA’s call for information to improve EMS, and possible upgraded national attention by DOD and HHS to improving trauma care in the U.S.A — which the American people have long needed.
It is that need which I, and many others, have worked on for decades and led to the creation of “Care for Crash Victims.”
On July 3rd, 2018, NHTSA published its annual report Traffic Safety Facts 2016 copy attached. {See below.} The statistics on pp. 16 and 17 show that fatalities and fatality rates per 100,000 people have been rising the past decade.
Let’s hope that we are closer to making substantial advances because we can and we must do better and save more lives.
We the People must grab the reins of power to protect vulnerable travelers on our roads. The federal government and the trucking industry are either dragging their feet or deliberately opposing* efforts to get life-saving underride protection technology on all large trucks. It’s up to us to change the course of history.
The STOP Underrides! Bill has already been introduced (on December 12, 2017) by Senator Gillibrand, Senator Rubio, Congressman Cohen, and Congressman DeSaulnier. Now it’s time to let every one of our legislators know that it is not just Lois Durso and Marianne Karth who want this bill passed. The people of this country must speak up and demand that this practical solution be required.
Are you with us?
Watch this compelling video:
Over 57,000 people have signed the STOP Underrides! Petition. We need a strong voice calling for an end to these preventable tragedies. If you have not already done so, please sign this petition:Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underride!
Spread the word! Share the video and the petition.
Please let us know if you would be willing to put a bumper sticker on your car to raise awareness. If so, email us at stopunderrides@gmail.com.
* Letters from Trucking Industry Associations in Opposition to Underride Technology Mandates (with a response from Senator Gillibrand & a blogpost from a truck driver advocate)
It is unfortunate that the regulated industry has such power over how they are regulated. Their decisions and actions are apparently informed by a strong inclination to protect the bottomline rather than by the conscience of individuals within that industry. How frustrating that they do not truly take into account the “honest bottomline” for, if they did, they would know that it would be to their ultimate advantage to make full use of every safety technology available to them.
Here is a FAQ document with answers to frequently asked questions about the STOP Underrides! Bill: FAQ STOP Underrides Bill. I hope that it helps to get us all on the same page and moving more quickly toward effective collaboration to end truck underride tragedies with Win/Win solutions.
After all, this is not about getting the truck industry to get in line — or else. To quote Rose in The Last Jedi: That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love.
Lois Durso & I were privileged to meet with Michael Hawkins (Cool Breeze Studio) last week at his studio in South Carolina to begin work on some underride video productions. Mike just finished this short look at Death By Underride.
In memory of Roya, AnnaLeah & Mary and the countless other victims of underride
With the hope that countless other people will be spared a similar fate
We were excited to receive news on June 26 that the Road to Zero Coalition (RTZ) has published a Truck Underride Priority Statement on their website.
The Road to Zero Coalition is working to end preventable deaths on U.S. roadways by 2050. With that goal in mind, the Coalition is developing Safety Priority Statements that most – if not all – Coalition members can support.
The National Safety Council leads the Road to Zero initiative in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation – specifically the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
A Sign-On form is now available here, so that RTZ Coalition member organizations can add their name. Coalition members (over 675 as of this date) are listed here: RTZ Coalition Members
As of June 26, 2018, the following organizations have already signed on in support of the Truck Underride Priority Statement:
We are thankful to the RTZ Steering Group for taking the time to discuss and approve this important means of providing a stronger voice for the vulnerable victims of truck underride.
Many times when people lose a loved one in a truck crash, they are not aware that the outcome of the crash might have been different if there had been adequate and effective underride protection to stop the car from going under the truck.
If you have lost a loved one in a truck crash, find out if underride was involved. We lost AnnaLeah when she was 17 and Mary when she was 13 because of a truck underride crash on May 4, 2013. We are working hard to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. We hope to have other families join with us to win this battle to end preventable underride tragedies.
Contact us to find out more. Email: marianne@annaleahmary.com
