Top professional truck drivers presented life-saving highway driving tips to young drivers today as part of the American Trucking Associations' national Share the Road highway safety tour.An estimated 12.6 million new drivers will receive licenses this year nationally, indicating the necessity of sharing the road safely. Professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free driving miles demonstrated techniques that young motorists should utilize when driving near large trucks.
The American Trucking Associations, Bestway Express, and the Share the Road sponsors, Mack Trucks and Michelin North America, joined the elite group of drivers to discuss highway safety with Indiana drivers. This is the first stop at Vincennes University for Share the Road.
"Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of American teenagers," said Wayne Crowder, a professional truck driver from Lanesville, Ind. "I'm a parent, so I know what we're doing here today is very important. Most automobile drivers were never taught what they can do to avoid an accident with a tractor-trailer."
Featured at today's event were professional truck drivers Wayne Crowder (FedEx Freight) and Paul Gattin (ABF Freight System, Inc.). Those drivers are members of an elite team of million-mile, accident-free truck drivers who deliver the trucking industry's safety messages across the country.
David Tucker, Vice President for Workforce Development and Community Services at Vincennes University told reporters at the event, "Share the Road is one of the best programs that the American Trucking Associations can present to Indiana motorists.
With increasing traffic, it is important to make sure that all drivers are aware of the blindspots around large trucks. This information, and other safety advice, will help everyone to share the roads safely."
Today's presentation of Share the Road safety measures is important to Indiana motorists because:
16-year-olds are more likely to be involved in single vehicle crashes, be responsible for the crash, be cited for speeding, and have more passengers than older drivers (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
35 percent of all truck-involved highway fatalities occur in a truck's blind spots (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).
Up to 75 percent of all truck-involved fatalities are unintentionally initiated by car drivers (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety).
During the safety demonstration today at Vincennes University, students climbed inside the cab of a truck to see first hand what a professional truck driver can and cannot see. Today's demonstration was designed to teach specific skills to young motorists in order to drive safely around other automobiles and around trucks and large commercial vehicles on the highways, and to arrive safely at their destinations.
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