National Share the Road Highway Safety Program Visits
Hannan High School
ASHTON, W.V. – The national Share the Road highway safety program tractor trailer pulled into Hannan High School today to deliver life-saving highway driving tips.
Teenage drivers are one of the highest accident prone drivers on the road today. West Virginia suffered 380 highway fatalities in 2008 according to the West Virginia Department of Transportation,
West Virginia is the only state in the nation that mandates this program for teenagers and many professional drivers would like other states to follow. This International Share the Road program demonstrates to drivers how to share the road safely with large trucks.
Today’s presentation of Share the Road safety measures is important for motorists because:
• Over the past decade alone, the large truck fatal crash rate dropped by 23 percent (USDOT)
• 35 percent of all truck-involved highway fatalities occur in a truck’s blind spots (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).
• According to three different studies – including the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation and DOT, 3 out of 4 truck-involved fatalities are unintentionally initiated by car drivers.
Students and staff were able to view the road from the truck driver’s perspective, and learn up close and personal some of the differences between how cars and large trucks operate on the highways. Today’s demonstration was designed to teach specific skills to motorists in order to drive safely around other automobiles, around trucks and large commercial vehicles on the highways, and to arrive safely at their destinations.
Winter Driving Advice
Extreme winter snow storms have blanketed the nation, state and region this year with more snow promised throughout the week. Drivers from the Share the Road national highway safety program offer this advice on how to navigate through highway traffic and arrive at your destination safely:
Avoid extreme weather conditions: Ice, hail and snow make roads difficult to travel. Try to avoid driving through extreme weather conditions, and travel during daylight.
• Remove ice and snow from your vehicle: Clear your windows and roof of snow to insure you have maximum visibility and avoid creating a hazard for the vehicle behind you. Don’t allow ice and snow to create additional blindspots on your vehicle.
• Be aware of the vehicle in front of you: Leave extra room between you and the vehicle in front so you can avoid snow and ice blowing onto your windshield or maneuver around patches of ice.
• Prepare an emergency kit: Contents should include: battery powered radio, flashlight, blanket, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, bottled water, non-perishable foods, maps, tire repair kit and flares.
• Be aware of truck blind spots: When sharing the road with large trucks, be aware of their blind spots. If you can't see the truck driver in his or her mirrors, then the truck driver can’t see you.
• Do not cut in front of large trucks: Remember that trucks are heavier and take longer to make a complete stop, so avoid cutting quickly in front of them.
• Slow Down: When highways are hit with wintry conditions, speeding becomes even more dangerous. Allow plenty of space cushion and reduce your speed.
• Buckle up: Safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent and are a simple way to increase your safety on the road.
“Highway travel is challenging when you add wintry conditions such as ice, snow and slush,” said Share the Road professional driver Gary Leu. “Remember to take it slow, stay alert and buckle up if you need to travel during less than ideal conditions. By being patient we can all share the highway and stay safe this winter.”
Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the roads safely with large trucks. An elite team of professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles deliver life-saving messages to millions of motorists annually. The safety program is sponsored by Mack Trucks, Inc. and Michelin North America, Inc.
http://www.atastr.org/
Share the Road visited all three county schools:
February 1- STR Safety Demonstration with the West Virginia Trucking Association at Wahama Junior & Senior High School, Mason, W.Va.
February 1 -STR Safety Demonstration with the West Virginia Trucking Association at Point Pleasant Junior & Senior High School, Point Pleasant, W.Va.
February 1 -STR Safety Demonstration with the West Virginia Trucking Association at Hannan Junior & Senior High School, Ashton, W.Va.
February 2- STR Safety Demonstration with the West Virginia Trucking Association at Liberty High School, Clarksburg, W.Va.
February 3 -STR Press Event and STR Safety Demonstration with the West Virginia Trucking Association at South Charleston High School, Charleston, W.Va.
February 3 -STR Safety Demonstration with the West Virginia Trucking Association at Sissonville High School, Charleston, W.Va.
February 6 -STR Safety Demonstration at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center Children's Safety Fair, Peoria, Ariz.
March 31-April 1 STR Safety Demonstration at Ohio Safety Congress & Expo, Columbus, Ohio
April 7-11- STR Safety Demonstration at Denver Auto Show, Denver, Colo.
April 10-13 -STR Booth at Lifesavers Conference, Philadelphia, Pa.
April 15- STR Safety Demonstration with Colorado Motor Carriers Association at Colorado Academy, Littleton, Colo.
May 12 -Illinois Trucking Association's Day at the Capitol Event, Springfield, Ill.
Never Too Young To Be Safe
Junior High students were also given the oppurtunity to attend the presentation and participate in the hands-on activity.
