Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) sent the message to Congress below on August, 31, 2021:
Russ Swift (Port St. Lucie, FL), Co-Chair of Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.): “Nearly 28 years ago, October 14, 1993, our 23-year-old son, Jasen, died a violent death, early in the morning on a dark road, because of breathtakingly bad judgment by a 17-year-old truck driver. The circumstances that led to his death have changed little since then. It is incomprehensible to me that Congress is yet again considering legislation allowing 18–20-year-olds to get behind the wheel of massive 18-wheelers on interstate highways throughout the nation. This is a terrible idea…”
What Russ Asks You To Do:
Congress must take action now in the infrastructure/transportation bill to prevent crashes, deaths & injuries.
- Truck crash deaths have increased nearly 45 percent since the low in 2009. Dangerous truck safety rollbacks must be stricken including:
- Provisions to allow “teen truckers” in interstate commerce. Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers under the age of 19 are four times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes, and CMV drivers between the ages of 19-20 are six times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than all truck drivers.
- Exemptions from hours of service (HOS) rules intended to prevent the well-known and well-documented issue of truck driver fatigue.
- Require automatic emergency braking (AEB) on all new cars and ALL new trucks. AEB can prevent or mitigate crashes caused by speeding, distracted, drunk, drugged, and drowsy driving.
For almost 30 years, Russ Swift has fought on behalf of his son Jasen for sensible, lifesaving truck safety solutions. He should not have to fight another 30 years to see these policies enacted into law.