Category Archives: Safety Advocacy

“‘Take me instead, Lord,’ frustrated parents can say.” Move a million hearts to reach just one.

March 27, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyVision Zero, Vision Zero PetitionMarianne

Jerry asked our family yesterday, “If money were no object, what could be done to get 1 million signatures on our petition?” Like me, he is frustrated with the lack of response our 20,000 signatures seems to have gotten from the powers-that-be.

Perhaps they are working furiously behind closed doors to prepare a response. Or, on the other hand, maybe they think that they are already doing everything they can (not true) to help us move Toward Zero traffic fatalities.

Vision Zero is a difficult concept to grasp–possibly because we have grown accustomed to accepting traffic deaths as “accidents” instead of understanding that there are many things which could be done to prevent them.

Yet, our Vision Zero Petition has outlined some very specific courses of action which our country’s leadership could take which would make a much bigger impact than is currently being made to reduce the number of crash deaths.

Our kids asked, “What’s the target group?” The consensus seemed to be that the people most likely to respond to our message would be those that fear having a child die before they do.

This morning, I listened to a brief bit of the girls’ funeral sermon. On that dreadful day, Pastor Pase talked to us about the challenge a parent has in keeping a fragile child safe and the pain that comes when they are unable to do so.

“‘Take me instead, Lord,’ frustrated parents can say.”

If you are a parent (or even if you are not, but our story moves your heart), please share our story with at least one another person. Maybe we can reach that 1 million people Jerry is hoping for. And just maybe the president’s heart will be like a stream of water in our Father’s hands. (Proverbs 21:1) Pray for it to be so.

Share the petition and also send an email to President Obama: Tell Obama you are standing with us.

image1 (6) — Easter flowers for AnnaLeah & Mary, from their aunt and uncle, March 26, 2016

Fight then, wherever you may be, to protect us all from the end-that-shouldn’t-be.

March 27, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safetygrief, memories, Resurrection hopeMarianne

I would like to be able to write hopeful things, on this hopeful day of Resurrection remembrance, about our chances of being able to save lives. But the fact of the matter is that, unless a miracle occurs, it is likely to be Second Verse Same As The First, A Little Bit Louder And A Little Bit Worse. Followed by Third Verse and so on. . . ad nauseam.

The day after Easter in 2013, just a month before our crash, I shared a song with friends. I wrote about it a year later on facebook:

One of the really true and hopeful things about that song is in the last verse:

No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand!

But, as true as that may be in the spiritual sense (because AnnaLeah and Mary will be with their Lord and Savior forever to infinity and beyond; they are where they belong), it is most certainly also true that sin, death, and the devil can wreak havoc in our lives here on earth–including the careless and callous attitudes and actions that contribute to traffic crash deaths.

Oh, I understand that by the grace of God I can endure the pain and grief which has come upon me as a result. And maybe I can even be a tool in His hand to ameliorate the situation just a little.

But the forces of darkness that rage against genuine efforts to end senseless traffic deaths are truly powerful and scheming. It is only because I believe that it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit that we could ever prevail that I press on boldly calling ever more loudly:

Our stories show the world that this violence has to end.
But the forces up against us make it hard to score a win.
Yet we’ll climb up this mountain of grief once again.
Weeping is our strength; let this battle begin.

Fight then, wherever you may be,
To protect us all
From the end-that-shouldn’t-be.
As we join together against this enemy,
We will find the way to victory.

Lyrics: from the broken heart of a mother (remembering the peace and joy of AnnaLeah and Mary)

Tune: Simple Gifts

and Lord of the Dance

We rescue; Jesus saves.

Update on February 13, 2019: The petition below is out-of-date. Please sign our STOP Underrides! Petition. . . Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underride!

Share the petition and also send an email to President Obama: Tell Obama you are standing with us.

Volvo Truck Recall; Decisive Action Taken by Volvo & FMCSA Exhibits Vision Zero Thinking

March 24, 2016Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyFMCSA enforcement, safety defect, safety recall, Vision Zero thinkingMarianne

Here is an encouraging Vision Zero action. Though it is not good that there is a safety defect in some Volvo trucks, at least decisive action is being taken by Volvo to recall the vehicles, as well as action by FMCSA to declare these trucks Out-Of-Service if they are found on the road without the necessary repair.

FMCSA Volvo Truck Safety Recall Notice

On February 16, 2016, Volvo Trucks initiated a safety recall affecting nearly 16,000 Class 8 motor vehicles in the United States. According to Volvo, a condition exists which could lead to separation of the steering shaft from the junction block.

Also, the bolt connecting the upper steering shaft to the lower steering shaft may not have been properly tightened. Volvo’s report to NHTSA states that either condition can lead to separation of the steering shaft and immediate loss of steering ability and control, which could lead to a crash.

Volvo Trucks issued a Safety Recall Alert on March 10, which directed all owners of the affected vehicles to take the vehicles out of operation as soon as possible and cautioned that the separation can occur without warning and amended its safety recall on March 15, alerting NHTSA of the more serious hazard.

Volvo Trucks strongly recommends that these vehicles remain out of service until repairs are made. NHTSA is overseeing Volvo Truck’s recall efforts to ensure prompt notification of the defect to vehicle owners and that vehicles are not operated in a defective condition. . .

Additionally, to assist with notification efforts, on March 18, 2016, FMCSA posted an Inspection Bulletin on its website.

Urgent Inspection Bulletin: Safety Recall Issued By Volvo Trucks – See more at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/urgent-inspection-bulletin-safety-recall-issued-volvo-trucks#sthash.B6yEYAQI.dpuf

Volvo Safety Recall Alert: Steering Shaft

Volvo Safety Recall Alert Steering Shaft.pdf

I applaud all such actions which have the potential to prevent crashes and save lives.

StopSleep device detects loss of concentration & fatigue, warning drivers: Stop, Revive and Survive.

March 23, 2016Safety Advocacydriver fatigue, drowsy driving, DWFMarianne

Here is a device to counteract drowsy driving dangers: StopSleep® – Drive Safely

Worn on just two fingers, the StopSleep device detects loss of concentration and fatigue, warning drivers it is time to Stop, Revive and Survive.

Care2 Story on our Family’s Fight for Truck Safety #VisionZero

March 22, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyVision ZeroMarianne

Care2 published a story on our safety advocacy today: Care2 Mom Continues to Fight for Truck Safety After Daughters’ Tragic Death

I’m thankful for their site which has allowed us to raise awareness about traffic safety and Vision Zero. We have gained the support of many individuals through our Vision Zero Petition hosted there.

The Petition remains open for additional signatures until Vision Zero Rulemaking is adopted: Save Lives Not Dollars: Urge DOT to Adopt a Vision Zero Policy

Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.

Jerry, Marianne, and Isaac in front of DOT

New Study: Crash risk soars among truck drivers who fail to adhere to sleep apnea treatment

March 22, 2016Safety Advocacy, Truck Safetydriver fatigue, drowsy driving, DWF, FMCSA rulemaking, sleep apneaMarianne

A recently released study shows that the risk of a crash risk soars among truck drivers who fail to adhere to sleep apnea treatment.

Results show that the rate of serious, preventable crashes was 5 times higher among truck drivers with sleep apnea who failed to adhere to PAP therapy, compared with matched controls. In contrast, the crash rate of drivers with sleep apnea who were fully or partially adherent with treatment was statistically similar to controls.

“The most surprising result of our study is the strength and robustness of the increase in the crash risk for drivers with sleep apnea who fail to adhere to mandated treatment with positive airway pressure therapy,” said lead author Stephen V. Burks, PhD, professor of economics and management and principal investigator of the Truckers & Turnover Project at the University of Minnesota, Morris. “The results of our study support the establishment of obstructive sleep apnea screening standards for all drivers through the commercial driver’s medical exam.”

If we had a National Vision Zero Goal and Vision Zero Rulemaking Policies, what would we do with this information?

According to the authors, panels of medical experts previously convened by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have recommended comprehensive sleep apnea screening for commercial drivers. However, rather than instituting mandatory screening, current federal regulations rely on drivers to self-report sleep apnea symptoms during a biennial medical examination to determine their fitness for duty. On March 8, 2016, the FMCSA and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a joint Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which is the first step as both agencies consider whether to propose specific requirements for screening, evaluating and treating rail workers and commercial motor vehicle drivers for obstructive sleep apnea.

If we were actually serious about saving lives, then we would do everything humanly possible to prevent crash deaths. Here’s a chance to do it right.

According to study co-author Charles A. Czeisler, PhD, MD, FRCP, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Baldino Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “Given that the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia and premature death are similarly increased in people with untreated obstructive sleep apnea, regulatory agencies worldwide owe it to truck drivers and to the motorists who share the road with them to require objective screening, diagnostic testing, and treatment adherence monitoring for all commercial drivers.”

Death by Rental Car; How the Houck Case Changed the Law

March 20, 2016Safety AdvocacyCare for Crash Victims, Carol Houck, Rachael and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car ActMarianne

I just heard about a new book about traffic safety advocacy. Find out about it for yourself from Lou Lombardo, a safety advocate who does important work by watching out for timely news in the realm of traffic safety and sends out regular emails to keep others informed.

In Lou’s latest email below, I particularly noted the NY Times article, which stated that, without a law, safety advocates and regulators say, consumers must take the rental car company’s or dealer’s word that the repairs were made, and have limited ability to seek redress without that assurance. This emphasizes the need to go beyond voluntary measures:

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

On “October 7, 2004, two Houck sisters were killed in “a Chrysler PT Cruiser rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, that had been recalled for a safety defect that could cause an engine fire, but the corporation had failed to repair it.”

On December 4, 2015, the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act was signed into law.”

This is an important story. More important to Americans than the coverage of most of what is seen on TV and in the papers. The NY Times covered some of the battles, but not the victory yet as far as my search could find. See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/09/business/recalled-used-cars-roam-the-roads-as-federal-legislation-stalls.html?_r=0

Reasons Why This Is An Important Book

* The inequality of power of people vs. corporate and governmental power and money has never been greater.

* Safety victories are too rare in the U.S.A. today.

* The American people need to know that safety advances can be made with persistence plus political and community support.

See the press release below by one of my safety heroes Ben Kelley, about the struggles, on our behalf, of Carol Houck and her family.

New Book Gives Gripping Account

Of Eleven-Year Legal Saga Triggered

By Sisters’ Defective Rental Car Deaths

Monterey, CA –When the Houck sisters were killed in a fiery head-on collision late one afternoon in October 2004, California state police blamed it on Raechel Houck, 24, the driver. She had made an “unsafe turning maneuver,” they said. “It’s a very rural stretch and people can fall asleep or lose control easily or not pay attention.”

But in reality, a defective Chrysler PT Cruiser and a huge rental car company’s callous indifference to customer safety caused the tragedy. Even though Enterprise Rent-A-Car had been notified more than a month earlier that the PT Cruiser was under recall, it rented the vehicle to the young women without fixing its lethal defect – a flaw in the power steering hose that allowed flammable power brake fluid to leak onto hot engine surfaces and burst into flames.

The Houck sisters’ violent deaths were the start of an incredible eleven-year saga that culminated in the congressional passage last December of a landmark law, the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2015, banning rental car companies from keeping recalled vehicles in service without fixing their defects. A new book, “Death by Rental Car: How The Houck Case Changed The Law,” by Ben Kelley, documents that saga in spellbinding detail. A “real-life courtroom thriller” that “reads like a suspense novel,” reviewers wrote.

In a foreword to “Death By Rental Car,” Ralph Nader calls it a “compelling story of corporate evasion and duplicity” and the “dedicated, persistent personal injury attorneys” who fought for the Houcks in their lawsuit against the giant rental car corporation – and ultimately won. The Houcks “saw beyond their own personal tragedy” when they pursued their lawsuit, Nader writes; it was a way to “advance the public’s right to know what both Chrysler and Enterprise Rental wanted kept secret. Drivers and passengers on the roads were in danger.”

“Death by Rental Car” gives a blow-by-blow account of Houck v. Enterprise, the parents’ hard-fought lawsuit against Enterprise. Drawing from the testimony of experts and witnesses in the lawsuit, the book takes the reader inside the litigation, in which the rental car corporation, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, aggressively attempted to blame Raechel Houck for causing the crash. But what caused the crash was the defect, which triggered an engine compartment fire. Smoke penetrated the passenger compartment, frightening Raechel and causing her to veer off the road and into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer.

Challenging Enterprise’s campaign to shirk blame for the crash were two lawyers, Larry Grassini and Roland Wrinkle, who represented the Houck parents. They resolutely fought back against Enterprise’s “blame the victim” legal tactics and secrecy strategy and brought the case to a successful conclusion. When Enterprise tried to settle the case by paying the parents a few million dollars in return for their agreement to hide the facts of the crash and Enterprise’s role in causing it, they joined the Houcks in rejecting the offer. Grassini said he was “inspired by the bravery” of the Houck parents, who “refused to take any amount of money in exchange for muzzling them from exposing Enterprise’s business practice of renting recalled cars.”

After the trial in Houck v. Enterprise, the sisters’ mother, Carol “Cally” Houck, embarked on a crusade to win passage of new laws to forbid rental car companies from keeping recalled vehicles in service without first repairing them. Her criterion for an effective law was simple: “If it would have saved my daughters, it’s a good law. If it wouldn’t have, it’s no use.” Her effort, supported by leading safety advocacy groups in California and Washington, led to passage in December of the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act.

“Death By Rental Car” is available from Amazon.com in print and Kindle formats at this link. The book’s Table of Contents is below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ben Kelley is a nationally renowned expert on auto safety issues. The Los Angeles Times called him a “pioneer in vehicle safety research.” His commentaries have appeared in newspapers throughout the country and are featured on the www.Fairwarning.org consumer information website. His biography and bibliography are atwww.producthazardconsulting.com.

CONTACTS: For information about the book or to obtain review copies, please contact ben.kelley@yahoo.com, or phone him at (831) 920 2460. To contact or arrange interviews with Carol Houck or Larry Grassini, please use the following email addresses and phone numbers: Carol Houck,spendard@juno.com, (805) 479 2545; Larry Grassini, lpgrassini@gmail.com. (818) 348 1717

I recommend our community buy this excellent and important book, read it, and be both educated and inspired by it.

Lou

Letter from Vice President Biden on Traffic Safety Advocacy

March 20, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyPresident Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Vision Zero, Vision Zero Executive OrderMarianne

This week, I received a letter from Vice President Joe Biden in response to my December 9, 2015, letter to him asking that he champion our efforts to reduce the traffic safety tragedies in our country. I asked him to back our petition to President Obama requesting a Vision Zero Executive Order.

I truly appreciate his heartfelt letter expressing compassion for the loss of our daughters in a truck crash, and his promise to keep us in their prayers. He also mentioned that my commitment to the issue is inspiring.

Please pray that he is inspired to the extent of actively promoting our petition requests with the powers that be in Washington.

Letter from Vice President Joe Biden

My letter to Vice-President Biden

Letter From One Father to Another

Tell Obama you are standing with us in this: “Family Continues Fight for Trucking Safety”

Truck Industry Could Take a Cue From Collaborative Medical Research Strategy

March 19, 2016Safety Advocacy, Truck Safetyunderride crash, underride guards, underride research, underride roundtableMarianne

I hope that the truck trailer manufacturing community (and those who purchase from them) take a cue from the CMTA–a non-profit organization which is supporting an effective research strategy to find treatment for Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a hereditary disorder which multiple members of my family have.

CMTA has organized a collaborative process which brings together a global interdisciplinary team:

One of the most important ways the CMTA accelerates the research process is by putting together teams of top scientists recruited from an international body of scientific and clinical Key Opinion Leaders in CMT. The STAR program’s unique character stems from the willingness of the scientists to come together to advance CMT research collaboratively, sharing and communicating ideas, discoveries and research findings.

The CMTA’s funding and operations focus is on translational research that will lead as directly as possible to therapeutic treatments of CMT. To further this goal, the CMTA has put in place a STAR Advisory Board that includes both a Scientific Expert Board and a Therapy Expert Board. The CMTA’s STAR (Strategy to Accelerate Research)

This is the kind of strategy which we hope will be taking place at, and following, the Underride Roundtable on May 5, 2016, at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Vehicle Research Center in Ruckersville, Virginia.

Underride Roundtable Registration Now Open: May 5, 2016 at IIHS Vehicle Research Center

March Historically a Momentous Month for Truck Underride Safety Advocacy; Beware the Ides of March!

March 18, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safetyfront underrun, Ides of March, NHTSA rulemaking, side guards, side underride, underride guards, Vision ZeroMarianne

March has historically been a momentous, memorable month for truck underride safety advocacy. Not that other months are totally devoid of such activity, but I have observed a noticeable pattern:

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has studied and reported on the truck underride problem for many years. After our underride crash on May 4, 2013, we discovered that they had published a report on this issue just a few months earlier on March 14, 2013, as well as a prior report on March 1, 2011.
On the 37th anniversary of our marriage, our family launched the AnnaLeah & Mary Stand Up for Truck Safety Petition on March 19, 2014, with one of the petition requests being to improve truck underride protection (rear, side, and front on tractor trailers, as well as for Single Unit Trucks).
Later that week, on March 23, 2014, I published a Youtube video to explain why we had launched the petition and what we were asking for–including an upgrade of the weak, ineffective federal underride standards.
During the almost three years which have passed since that terribly tragic day in May, we continue to uncover new (to us) information which surely should have led to improved underride protection long before now. For example, about a month ago, I became aware of a March 16, 1977 (when I was 21–just a few days from my wedding) Senate Investigative hearing, which was reported on in the March 29, 1977 IIHS Status Report.
This is how that report began: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released the results of a crash test program focused on the deadly problem of car-into-truck underride crashes. Appearing as lead-off witness at a March 16 Senate Investigative hearing, the Institute’s president, William Haddon, Jr., M.D., presented crash test films and analyses showing that: The 25 year-old federal “rear end protection” standard for devices on the backs of tractor-trailers and trucks is “a sham.”
Further, Haddon warned Senators, “Blood has been shed, heads literally have rolled and countless thousands of Americans have been injured because these agencies did not act. Further inaction would be inexcusable.”
On March 5, 2016, we delivered our second petition to Washington, DC, when we took our Vision Zero Petition Book with 20,000 signatures to the Department of Transportation and President Obama. We asked for a Vision Zero Executive Order to pave the way for Vision Zero Rulemaking policies so that a truly effective and comprehensive underride standard can be issued.
On March 10, 2016, the Vision Zero Petition Book and 20,000 signatures were posted as a Public Comment on the current rear underride rulemaking.
On March 12, 2016, Jerry and I were privileged to participate in a successful side guard crash test in Hillsborough, North Carolina. This innovative side/rear combination can be retrofit to existing trucks on the road. Imagine the potential for saving lives!
On March 2, 2016, just three days prior to our recent delivery of the Vision Zero Petition, I discovered a March 19, 1969, Federal Highway Administration underride rulemaking document on the Federal Register which indicated that their intent was to extend underride protection to the sides of large vehicles! Eight years before my wedding day, when I was 13 years-old, DOT was intending to call for stronger underride protection. And yet, 44 years later, when my daughter Mary was 13 and AnnaLeah was 17, we still had not gotten it right! That’s just wrong!
It is my fervent hope that, when March 2017 rolls around, we will be celebrating a vastly improved federal standard–enthusiastically and immediately adopted by the trucking industry–for all-around-the-truck underride protection at higher speeds, including now-exempt single unit trucks as well as retrofitted to existing trucks and trailers.
If this seems like a costly venture, try comparing it to the price paid by thousands upon thousands of individuals and families during the past decades of ineffective underride protection–added to the countless precious people who will be saved in the years to come from tragic, preventable death by underride.
This is not rocket science; it can be done and the technology is already available!