Safety starts with the driver

USA Today reports that "Most motorists in the USA--78 percent--call aggressive driving a serious concern," yet almost half admit speeding on major highways in the past 30 days.

These figures, taken from a recently released report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reflects what AAA calls American drivers' "do as I say, not as I do" attitude, which opens the door to aggressive driving, a factor in 56 percent of fatal crashes, says Foundation president and CEO Peter Kissinger.

This behavior takes a tremendous toll on the trucking industry. Passenger vehicles cause more than 70 percent of all fatal truck-involved accidents.

Empirical evidence clearly shows that poor driver behavior is the overwhelming cause of traffic fatalities. To address this dire situation, the ATA Safety Task Force has made 18 recommendations to advance highway safety for all motorists. Of the 18 safety initiatives and countermeasures, 10 focus on improving truck and passenger vehicle driver performance.

Advocating for more stringent truck safety regulations through new programs and technologies, like speed governors, electronic on-board recorders and a national clearinghouse for alcohol and drug information, has made the trucking industry the safest it has ever been, since the Department of Transportation began keeping record of fatal traffic crashes in 1975. ATA will continue to advance its aggressive safety agenda to continue this outstanding trend, but we must all work together to improve our own driving behavior.

Whether it's behind the wheel a tractor-trailer full of electronics or in a minivan full of Little Leaguers, safely sharing America's roadways is a great responsibility that begins in the driver's seat.