NAFA Fleet Management Association, the vehicle fleet industry’s largest trade association, announces a partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on a new road safety initiative.
The Our Roads, Our Safety program has been developed by FMCSA to help raise public awareness – with both professional drivers and consumers – about sharing the road with large trucks and buses. FMCSA’s campaign goal is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving these vehicles.
The initiative joins NAFA with the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the American Bus Association, AAA, and the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association as official partners of the FMCSA’s Our Roads, Our Safety program.
According to FMCSA’s data:
- Commercial vehicles logged about 296 billion vehicle miles traveled across the U.S. in 2015
- Of the 32,166 fatal crashes on the nation’s roadways, 3,838 (11.9 percent) involved at least one large truck or bus. In addition, there were an estimated 6,263,000 nonfatal crashes, 476,000 (7.6 percent) of which involved at least one large truck or bus
- In 2015, 4,311 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes, an eight-percent increase from 2014
- Seven out of 10 people killed in crashes involving large trucks are occupants of the other vehicles
- 30 percent of fatal work zone crashes involved at least one large truck, a rate that is significantly higher than the 11 percent of all fatal crashes that involve at least one truck
“Safety is a predominant aspect of NAFA’s mission, and our Association will be an integral part of the Our Roads, Our Safety program,” said NAFA CEO Phillip E. Russo, CAE. “Drivers of vehicles of all types can make a significant positive impact through awareness and alertness. Positive results can be dramatic and immediate when heeding this advice, and NAFA will advance these messages with professional drivers and their fleet managers.”
As part of the program, NAFA will encourage driver safety to fleet professionals through a variety of communication initiatives. FMCSA has developed social media content, video and radio spots, safety tip sheets, postcards, infographics, brochures, and more aimed at educating passenger vehicle drivers, truck drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians about the operational challenges large trucks and buses face in order to make the safest decisions while on the road.
NAFA’s promotion of this initiative will include safety tips on its Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages, as well as significant coverage in the Association’s member-oriented publications.
To learn more about the Our Roads, Our Safety program, visit: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads
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