Page 40 - ATR 5 2012 web 2

behind the wheel so TTyl

FedEx event targets teen texting

By ATR staff (October 14-20). It was held in con- highways each year. A new Center for
It was a strange sight for Harrison junction with FedEx’s annual three-day Disease Control survey revealed that 58
High School students as they walked Community Safe Driving Rally. percent of high school seniors and 43
toward the parking lot surrounding The events focused on how motor- percent of high school juniors said they
their football field on October 16. ists can drive safely around large trucks had texted or emailed while driving
With an emergency response helicopter and the need for truck and bus opera- during the previous month.
resting in the grass, they passed the tors, as well as passenger vehicle drivers, Guest speakers included Jack Van
charred, mangled remains of a vehicle to follow the rules of the road, avoid Steenburg, FMCSA Chief Safety Officer
on their way to three 18-wheelers. aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors and Assistant Administrator; Pat Reed,
The U.S. Department of without distractions and while buckled FedEx Freight Executive Vice President
Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier up. Law enforcement officials also led a & COO; Brian Neal, Operation Safe
Safety Administration (FMCSA), along demonstration of a tractor-trailer’s “No Driver Program Chair, FedEx Ground;
with the Arkansas Highway Police, Zone” to highlight blind spots around a Steve Keppler, Executive Director,
FedEx and the Commercial Vehicle truck where the truck driver cannot see CVSA; Major Paul M. Claunch,
Safety Alliance (CVSA), held a media passenger vehicles. Arkansas Highway Police; Joe Toole,
conference on Tuesday, October 16, in Nearly 4,000 people are killed and Senior Technical Advisor, National
Harrison, Ark. to highlight the nation- another 100,000 others are injured in Organizations for Youth Safety and
wide Operation Safe Driver Week truck and bus crashes on the nation’s America’s Road Team Captains.

 Harrison mayor Jeff Crockett with
FedEx Freight’s mark Courter

 A high school student tries to avoid hitting cones while texting on the
obstacle course.

 A local police officer shows students a car that had been impounded.

40 arkansas truCking rePort | issue 5 2012