Children of the Heavenly Father

I always find this hard to sing in church — today was no exception. We sang it at my dad’s funeral and at AnnaLeah’s and Mary’s.

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Two sisters sing Children of the Heavenly Father together. They have sung it many times and could do it in their sleep. This has special meaning as the duet is sung with a background of photos featuring their two younger sisters who are now, truly, with their Heavenly Father.

Children of the Heavenly Father
Safely in His bosom gather
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given

God His own doth tend and nourish
In His holy courts they flourish
From all evil things He spares them
In His mighty arms He bears them

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever
Unto them His grace He showeth
And their sorrows all He knoweth

Though He giveth or He taketh
God His children ne’er forsaketh
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy

Lo their very hairs He numbers
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers
Your Protector never slumbers
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foe man must surrender.

Carolina Sandell-Berg

http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=5907

GM Settlement: “What will it take to stop the needless deaths and injuries and produce safety and justice?” Lou Lombardo

Lou Lombardo of Care for Crash Victims sent out an update on the GM Settlement with the Justice Department.

“Mother of GM Crash Victim: Why Is Justice Dept. Allowing GM Write a Check to Get Away with Murder?”  http://www.democracynow.org/2015/9/18/mother_of_gm_crash_victim_why

USA Today Editorial

Thursday’s disappointing conclusion after months of federal investigation is simply par for the course. In the past decade, corporations have gotten away with all manner of  fraud, self-dealing, negligent manufacturing and market manipulation. The subprime mortgage industry nearly brought down the U.S. economy and ruined untold number of lives. But  to the extent there was punishment at all after these acts, it usually involved a company writing a check, as if these firms ran on automatic pilot.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/09/17/gm-justice-settlement-cars-defective-editorials-debates/32569791/

Ralph Nader spoke on the topic:  http://www.democracynow.org/2015/9/18/gm_did_the_crime_drivers_do

See more reactions to the GM Settlement:

Lou Lombardo concludes his email update this morning: “What will it take to stop the needless deaths and injuries and produce safety and justice?”

Request for Extension of Public Comment Period on Single Unit Truck Rulemaking Process

After hearing that several groups were hoping that they could have more time (beyond the current deadline of September 21) to prepare a Public Comment on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) on Underride Protection of Single Unit Trucks, I contacted NHTSA and filed a request to extend the Public Comment period.

The agency replied that they are considering my request. It usually takes at least 10 calendar days for such a process. I hope that this helps with providing useful information but does not lead to unnecessary delay of the needed rulemaking.

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Photo by me of a Single Unit Truck I saw on the expressway a few months ago.

Note the wimpy rear underride guard.

Donate now & support Underride Research to Prevent Underride and Save Lives:  https://www.fortrucksafety.com/

Innovative combined side & rear guard promises better underride protection

One of our Underride Research funding goals is to cover the costs of crash testing at IIHS ($25,000) of an innovative underride prevention system designed by Aaron Kiefer, a forensic engineer (he does crash reconstructions) here in North Carolina. Jerry and I went to see his prototype a few weeks ago. Very cool. It combines side & rear guard protection.

See his Public Comment on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) for underride protection on Single Unit Trucks posted today on the Federal Register:  http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2015-0070-0013

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Donate here to support crash testing to verify the effectiveness of Aaron’s vital invention: https://www.fortrucksafety.com/

Do you want manufacturers of vehicles to be held accountable for deaths related to known safety flaws?

If a manufacturer knows that one of their products has a defect or flaw or a component which could potentially result in death or serious injury, should they be let off of the hook from being accountable for the consequences of their refusal to improve the safety of their product?

What do you think? What would you think if you were the victim (or if someone whom you knew was the victim) of such an “oversight”?

Does a cost/benefit analysis which indicates that making the change would be “too costly” (i.e., costs “outweigh” the benefits of saved lives) excuse them from responsibility?

Read about the GM settlement over deaths due to installation of defective ignition switches:

“‘GM killed over a 100 people by knowingly putting a defective ignition switch into over one million vehicles,’ said Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety. ‘Yet no one from GM went to jail or was even charged with criminal homicide. This shows a weakness in the law not a weakness in the facts.  GM killed innocent consumers. GM has paid millions of dollars to its lobbyists to keep criminal penalties out of the Vehicle Safety Act since 1966.  Today thanks to its lobbyists, GM officials walk off scot free while its customers are six feet under.’” – See more at: http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/news/200/critics-rip-gm-deferred-prosecution-in-switch-case/#sthash.KW9gdwjA.Tc0H8H28.dpuf

Underride Research Meme

DONATE NOW: https://www.fortrucksafety.com/

Harvard School of Public Health posts comments in support of improved truck underride protection

Latest post in The Federal Register for Public Comments on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making for underride protection on Single Unit Trucks (SUTS) includes comments on suggestions for side guards to protect cyclists:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2015-0070-0010

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;dct=FR+PR+N+O+SR;rpp=10;po=0;D=NHTSA-2015-0070

“One Family’s Quest to Improve Truck Safety” by Kevin Matthews at Care2 The Petition Site

After the success of the AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety Petition in 2014 on The Petition Site, we went back to Care2 where it was hosted online and gave them an update on our efforts. They decided to write an article on our safety advocacy efforts.

It was published this morning: http://www.care2.com/causes/one-familys-quest-to-improve-truck-safety.html .

I am thankful for the many people who are working together with us to make our roads safer.  We appreciate each one.

Public Comment Period ends September 21 for ANPRM on underride protection for Single Unit Trucks (SUTS)

There have been some comments added to the Public Comments on the Federal Register for the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making on rear underride protection for Single Unit Trucks (SUTS).

You can see the comments here:  http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;dct=FR+PR+N+O+SR;rpp=10;po=0;D=NHTSA-2015-0070

The Public Comment period is currently scheduled to end on September 21, 2015. We encourage you to add your comment to this process to indicate support for the inclusion of Single Unit Trucks in the requirements for underride protection.

Here are some suggestions on writing comments:  https://annaleahmary.com/2015/08/thoughts-on-making-a-public-comment-on-rulemaking-for-single-unit-truck-underride-protection-ends-september-21/

Also, please consider donating to our underride research effort.

Donate & Spread the Word using our new website for AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety:  https://www.fortrucksafety.com/

Underride Research Meme

Underride Guards: a topic of conversation on TruckingInfo.com

Underride guards have been a topic of conversation over the months (many of them now since our crash) at TruckingInfo.com:

Why Better Underride Guards, and Maybe Other Stuff, Are Worth It
June 3, 2013,  http://www.truckinginfo.com/blog/trailer-talk/story/2013/06/why-better-underride-guards-and-maybe-other-stuff-are-worth-it.aspx

NHTSA to Issue New Rules on Underride Guards
July 11, 2014,  http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/safety-compliance/news/story/2014/07/nhtsa-to-issue-new-rules-on-underride-guards.aspx

NHTSA to Upgrade Truck Underride and Conspicuity Rules
July 20, 2015,  http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fleet-management/news/story/2015/07/nhtsa-initiates-upgrade-of-truck-underride-and-conspicuity-rules.aspx

Crash Argues for Better Impact Guards, and Better Driving
August 14, 2015,
 http://www.truckinginfo.com/blog/trailer-talk/story/2015/08/rear-end-crash-argues-for-better-impact-guards-and-better-control-of-one-s-car.aspx

(Just a note: It doesn’t matter who is at fault in these kinds of crashes of a smaller vehicle into a larger truck; if the underride guards could prevent the smaller vehicle from riding under the truck, the tragedy of death and horrific injury could be avoided.)

Underride Research MemeSupport Underride Research/Donate Now: https://www.fortrucksafety.com/

I discovered a new pastime: Frisbee/Disc Golf Course.

Mary loved to play. Life was to be enjoyed–at every opportunity.

Lately, I have been taking morning walks and have discovered a wonderful frisbee/disc golf course. There are numerous “tees” around the city, and I only came across a small portion of them.

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http://rockymountdg.com/?page_id=45

Part of the course was in a wooded area. Walking there filled me with peace but also with a knowledge that Mary would have loved it and might even have taken on the challenge with me of doing the whole course someday. That will never happen now.

The other day, my grandkids had fun walking a wee little bit of the Rocky Mount frisbee golf course–using their foam rocket launchers instead of frisbees. We all had fun. But their grandma simply doesn’t have Mary’s imaginative playfulness or youthful exuberance and spontaneity.

Another disc golf course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7UnUbbtFBc

And here is a video showing some disc golf technique. I can just see Mary watching this on her computer to figure out how to improve her frisbee throwing skills.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4ozihP00AA

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