Trucking’s Commitment to Highway Safety
The National Safety Council reports that every 7 seconds someone is injured, and every 15 minutes someone is killed, because of a car crash. More than 90 percent of car crashes are caused by human error and the three biggest causes of death result from alcohol, speeding and distracted driving. National Safety Month, observed annually in June, was founded to reduce the leading causes of injury and death, including on our roads.
The start of the busy summer travel season is a great reminder of the personal responsibility we have on the road. One industry that continues to make safety a priority is America’s trucking industry. The industry’s 3.5 million professional truck drivers have an individual commitment to safety and are well-trained on the latest driver safety techniques. The industry invests at least $9.5 billion annually on safety technology and helps educate the motoring public on safe driving.
The trucking industry also advocates for proper investment in our nation’s infrastructure to ensure the highest safety standards. After decades of neglect, much of our infrastructure is outdated and in poor condition. Faulty infrastructure is not just a safety concern; it leads to increased traffic, which threatens to slow our lives, and the economy.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, more than two in every five miles on our interstates are congested. The average commuter wastes 42 hours a year in traffic, costing them an average of $1,600 annually in wasted time and fuel. There’s also a very personal impact that results from traffic and congestion because life won’t wait when it comes to missing out on important events.
Investing in modern infrastructure and highway safety initiatives are necessary and long overdue. You can read more about our efforts in a recent editorial here. Without trucks and a strong and safe infrastructure network, there would be no deliveries and our lives, businesses and economy would come to a halt. That’s why trucking is committed to keeping our highways safe.
-Kevin Burch, Co-Chairman, Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF)
The mission of Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) is to establish a long-term industry-wide movement to create a positive image for the industry, to ensure that policymakers and the public understand the importance of the trucking industry to the nation’s economy, and to build the political and grassroots support necessary to strengthen and grow the industry in the future.