ATLANTA – In order to save lives on America’s highways and get in step with the rest of the world, the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation should reconsider her opposition to activation of speed governing devices at 68 mph on tractor trailer trucks, Road Safe America has said, according to www.businesswire.com.

Mary Peters, DOT Secretary, was quoted in a trucking publication this month as saying she opposes speed governors on big trucks because the speed differential between the trucks and passenger vehicles would be dangerous.

Road Safe America has a petition pending before the U.S. Department of Transportation to have speed governor activation required on all Class 7 and 8 trucks (over 13 tons in weight) at 68 mph or slower. The non-profit is being supported in the initiative by national safety advocacy organizations, the American Trucking Associations, trucking companies, private citizens, and business executives.

Already, speed-limiting governors are required to be set well below 68 mph on heavy trucks in the European Union, Japan, Australia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Road Safe America was founded by Steve and Susan Owings after their son, Cullum, was killed in 2002 when his car — stopped in an interstate traffic jam — was crushed from behind by a speeding tractor trailer truck on cruise control.

Speed-limiting devices have been standard equipment on tractor trucks in the U.S. since the early 1990s, and many companies and independent truckers use them, but there is no national requirement for all trucks to activate their speed governors.

For more information, visit www.roadsafeamerica.org.

 

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