FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 29, 2021
CONTACT: Pete Daniels / pdaniels@saferoads.org / 301-442-2249 (C)
Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
July 2014
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) is saddened to learn of the passing of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). As the Senator’s former colleagues and friends reflect upon his remarkable legacy as a member of Congress, Advocates remembers Senator Reid as a staunch supporter of making our nation’s roads safer for everyone.
Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety: “Advocates lauded Senator Harry Reid’s leadership twice, in 2010 and 2015, with our Highway Safety Hero Award. This honor is reserved for lawmakers and stakeholders who demonstrate a dogged determination to advance safety improvements while also battling efforts that threaten roadway safety laws. Senator Reid, a former amateur boxer who notoriously said he’d ‘much rather dance than fight,’ demonstrated this sentiment throughout his long career by bringing together disparate groups and ideals while also standing up to efforts to roll back safety regulations that protect all of us on our roadways. Countless lives have been saved due to Senator Reid’s grit, resolve and political savvy. Today, we honor his lifesaving legacy once again.”
Joan Claybrook, Former Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Chair, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways: “Senator Reid always had the public’s interest at heart on numerous issues. He fought to advance truck safety and against industry attempts to make trucks bigger and to increase truck driver hours of service rules. He also opposed storage of high-level nuclear waste in Nevada without proper protections. Senator Reid’s door was always open to public interest groups, and he never shied from tough policy battles. He will be dearly missed.”
Jackie Gillan, President Emeritus, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety: “Sen. Reid’s legacy in advancing numerous public health and safety improvements also included his efforts at keeping families safe on our neighborhood streets and highways. His many legislative successes resulted in safer cars, safer roads and safer drivers. There were many times when consumer and safety groups asked for his help in stopping special interest provisions allowing bigger and heavier trucks or weakening safety regulations from being enacted into law. He never turned us away no matter how difficult the battle or how pressed he was dealing with other Senate priorities. Sen. Reid’s work is responsible for saving thousands of lives and preventing tens of thousands of families from the tragic loss of a loved one in a motor vehicle crash. Everyone on the road this holiday season has Sen. Reid to thank for enhancing their safety.”
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement, and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to improve road safety in the U.S. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.
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