FMCSA Urges Everyone to “Share the Road Safely”

Byadmin

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is launching a safety campaign to raise public awareness about driving safely around large trucks and buses.

The Our Roads, Our Safety campaign is relying on industry partners to get the word out.

“FMCSA is pleased to work with a group of partners that are dedicated to safety and share our agency’s goal of reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses on the road,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Daphne Jefferson. “This important partnership amplifies the message that all drivers on the roadway must work together to ensure that everyone arrives safely at their destinations.”

The American Bus Association, AAA and the American Trucking Associations have joined with FMCSA to amplify the Our Roads, Our Safety effort to educate all pedestrians, bicyclists, passenger vehicle drivers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers on how to better share our roadways and improve safety for all.

There are several simple actions passenger vehicle drivers should take while sharing the road with large trucks and buses:

  • Stay out of the “No Zones” or blind spots at the front, back and sides of the vehicle
  • Make sure they can see the driver in the mirror before safely passing
  • Don’t cut in close while merging in front of a CMV
  • Stay back a safe distance to avoid being in a blind spot
  • Anticipate wide turns and consider larger vehicles may require extra turning room
  • Stay focused on the road and avoid distractions
  • Lastly, be patient driving around large trucks and buses

In addition to these tips, parents and teachers can involve children aged 5-12 in highlighting the importance of road safety by participating in the Road Safety Art Contest. The contest allows children in kindergarten through sixth grade to use their creativity and talent to help raise awareness of how to stay safe on the roads.

The program effort works towards the core mission of FMCSA – reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses on our roadways.

FMCSA plans to grow and build upon the foundation of the Our Roads, Our Safety program to work with other stakeholder organizations and continue educating all drivers about CMV safety. Making our roads a safer place is everyone’s responsibility – passenger vehicle drivers, truck drivers, bus drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Together we can make a difference and improve road safety for all, according to FMCSA.

Visit www.sharetheroadsafely.gov to get involved. Learn more and share information about how passenger vehicle drivers, CMV drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians share a responsibility for making our roads a safer place for everyone.

According to FMCSA, of the 263.6 million vehicles registered in the U.S. in 2015, 8.4 million were single unit trucks; 2.7 million were tractor-trailers and 888,907 were buses.

Large trucks traveled 279.9 billion miles and buses traveled 16.2 billion miles.

During 2015, there were 32,166 fatal crashes on U.S. roadways. Of those, 3,838 (11.9 percent) involved at least one large truck or bus. In addition, there were an estimated 6.2 million nonfatal crashes, 476,000 (7.6 percent) of which involved at least one large truck or bus.

Trucks can have a turning radius of up to 55 feet and can take 40 percent longer to stop than smaller vehicles, according to campaign promotional materials. Stopping distances for large trucks and buses increase when the vehicles transport heavy loads or operate in snow, ice or rain.