The U.S. Senate will soon be voting on a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar surface transportation bill, S. 2016, the Surface Transportation Investment Act.
The bill directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to mandate lifesaving technology, automatic emergency braking, on large new trucks. However, due to the influence of the trucking lobby, the bill excludes small and medium size trucks. Every day, hundreds of thousands of these trucks travel through our neighborhoods satisfying our e-commerce delivery needs.
As a mom who lost her son, Jeff Izer, and his three friends, as well as another injured in a possible preventable truck crash, it is impossible to justify this deadly loophole. These trucks are responsible for 27% of all truck crash deaths and threaten the safety of our children, pets and neighbors.
In that 27%, moms, dads, sons, daughters — and the list goes on and on — are no longer with us today.
I urge Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King to oppose this loophole and require AEB on all new trucks. Research shows that AEB can dramatically reduce crashes and save lives.
It’s past time to require all new trucks be equipped with this affordable and available technology.
Daphne Izer, Lisbon
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