“In 2014, for the sixth consecutive year, motor vehicle traffic crashes were not among the top 10 causes of death in the United States. Motor vehicle crashes were the 13th leading cause of death from 2012 to 2014. When ranked by age, motor vehicle traffic crashes were the number one cause of death among people 16 to 24 years old for each year 2012 to 2014. Motor vehicle crashes were also the number one leading cause of death for 11-year-old children in 2014, as well as for 4-year-old children in 2013.”
There were an estimated32,514 gun-related deaths in the U.S. in 2015 (by homicide, unintentional shootings, murder/suicide). There were 35,215 reported crash deaths in 2015 (due to Death by Motor Vehicle).
So why does the drafted Democratic Platform Draft Dem. Platform: “Ensure Health & Safety…Gun Violence Prevention” But NOT Vehicle Violence?
Let’s end preventable violent deaths! Appoint a Traffic Safety Ombudsman to help us do that!
PLEASE NOTE: If you sign the petition, be sure to go to your email. We the People will send you an email which will say this in the subject line: “Almost done! Verify your Petitions.WhiteHouse.gov account.” Follow the instructions to verify your signature.
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“Like all dads, I worry about my girls’ safety all the time. Especially when we see preventable violence in places our sons and daughters go every day – their schools and houses of worship, movie theaters, nightclubs, as they get older.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/weekly-address
Why?
So why does the President, that I voted for twice, continue to miss talking about vehicle violence after nearly 250,000 vehicle deaths and 1 million serious vehicle injuries under his administration?
We need an end to this strange indifference to vehicle violence.
Apparently, President Obama is okay with the current state of traffic fatalities. Anyway it sounds as if he thinks that we have already done all we can to reduce crash deaths.
At least that is what it sounds like to me from last night’s PBS News Hour video of President Obama speaking at a Town Hall (June 2, 2016):
“We used to have really bad auto fatality rates. The auto fatality rate has actually dropped precipitously, drastically since I was a kid. Why is that? We decided we had seat belt laws. We decided to have manufacturers put air bags in place. We decided to crack down on drunk driving and texting. We decided to redesign roads so that they were less likely to have a car bank.
“We studied what is causing these fatalities using science and data and evidence. And then we slowly treated it like the public health problem it was. And it got reduced.”
Interesting. This is what I noticed about what he said:
He identified auto fatalities as a public health problem.
He referred to it in the past tense.
He did not acknowledge that there is still a long ways to go and that there are still way too many preventable crash deaths occurring every year.
He did not mention that 33,000 people — like AnnaLeah and Mary, real people, whom someone will miss — are still dying every year and that we should make it a national priority to work on them.
He also did not mention that more than 2 million people are seriously injured in crashes each year.
He did not take that opportunity to say let’s set a national vision zero goal and work on this together.
President Obama, are you aware that over 20,000 people have asked you to set a Vision Zero Goal and to sign a Vision Zero Executive Order. We need a Vision Zero Task Force to address specific traffic safety issues and we need Vision Zero Rulemaking policies and we need a Traffic Safety Ombudsman to over see this ongoing public health problem–in ways that are not now being done.
Could we please sit down and talk about this so we can get on the same page?
Marianne
p.s. I, for one, daily face the loss of my two daughters, AnnaLeah (17) and Mary (13). And I know for a fact that more could have been done — but wasn’t — to prevent their deaths.
Did another Skype interview today with a TV reporter who had done an investigation of the underride problem in 2012. Almost 4 years ago and not much has changed since then. And it was before our crash. And his was just one of many broadcasts which have pointed out that something needs to be done about the underride problem!
Is it too much to understand that this neglect of a sorely-needed safety measure which has led to countless unnecessary deaths is very appalling, distressing, and frustrating?
I am glad for the progress being made in rulemaking, but my heart grieves for all the lost lives and the broken-hearted families who have to continue dealing with the senselessness of it all. It just doesn’t go away.
So, I shouldn’t be surprised that it was exhausting trying to move a mountain today and that the loss of thousands and the heartache of countless more is weighing me down.
The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.
Our family had a paper route for 13 yrs.–afternoons during the week & mornings on the weekend. All 9 kids were involved. We know all about getting out the news–rain or shine, hail or white-out!
Tomorrow, our local paper in NC will be publishing an article about AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety & our Vision Zero Petition. Please share the news with your local media so that people in your community can become aware & help our effort. Stay tuned for details; we will post the link.
Note: The article in the Rocky Mount Telegram will actually be delayed until next week due to the storm. Here are some previous articles on our story by Brie Handgraaf.
Just saw this book by Lisa Lewis (1995),It’s No Accident: the real story behind senseless death and injury on our roads. I’ll have to check that out.
Always keep in mind that there are numerous reasons for crashes, crash fatalities and injuries. I am thankful for the many people who are addressing these problems from every which way.
Brief description of the book: ” The author reveals that many dangerous behaviors are now promoted by businesses, and that drivers who kill often walk away with just a small fine. This expose is a must-read for anyone concerned about what’s happening on our roads and how to stop it.” http://tinyurl.com/pfcm9ca
