Teen Drivers Sharing the Road Around Trucks

LANSING, MI – Friday, June 4, 2010 - Each June, the National Safety Council encourages businesses to play an active role in National Safety Month. This year the week of June 7-13 focuses on Teen Driving. The Michigan Center for Truck Safety (MCTS) is also committed to improving highway safety.

The Michigan Center for Truck safety’s mission is to improve highway safety on Michigan's roadways, through comprehensive safety educational programs for Michigan's trucking industry. Additionally, the Center serves as a resource for Michigan's motoring public on sharing the road safely with trucks and general highway safety. To better promote Teen Driving during National Safety Month, the Center has available several educational materials aimed specifically at teen drivers: “Sharing the Road: Driving Safely Around Trucks” which consists of a brochure and an instructional DVD and “Are you Truck SMART?” (Safe Motoring and Responsible Transportation) brochure. These materials are distributed free of charge.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in more than 70% of all fatal car/truck crashes, the car driver is at fault. Automobile drivers do not realize that they need to drive differently around big trucks. Trucks cannot stop as quickly as cars, cannot change lanes as quickly and have large blind spots.

For more information regarding the Center’s teen driving publications or other truck safety issues please visit www.truckingsafety.org or:

Contact:

Lisa Atwell
Director of Media
latwell@truckingsafety.org
517-321-1955 ext.10