Ringgold, Ga., resident Cindy Whitaker lost her husband, brother-in-law and niece on Sept. 18, 2009, when a bucket truck crossed the center line on state Highway 136 in Walker County and slammed into the Dodge Ram truck in which they were riding.
Today, Whitaker will be in Washington, D.C., to speak on behalf of a trucking safety organization that is pushing for stricter safety rules.
“Our family is devastated, and our lives will never be the same,” Whitaker said of the Whitaker and Hixon families in the wake of the deadly crash.
Although that crash was more related to speeding, Whitaker hopes her story will foster better safety regulations for the trucking industry, she said.
“We’re looking to decrease the hours of service for truck drivers,” she said. “Many [speakers] are family and friends of crash victims who were killed by truck drivers falling asleep. There’s many people here who have multiple family victims who were killed or maimed by truckers falling asleep.”
The group also is pushing for on-board recording devices such as those used by European truckers, she said.
Whitaker is taking part in a news conference to support bipartisan legislation, dubbed the “Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act,” Truck Safety Coalition spokeswoman Beth Weaver said.
The coalition, a partnership between Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and Parents Against Tired Truckers, will release a new poll today showing “overwhelming support for truck weight and size limitations, and revising the federal rule on driving hours for truck drivers,” Weaver said.
The group’s “Sorrow to Strength” conference brings together survivors of truck crashes for four days of remembrance, workshops and to meet with members of the U.S. Congress and Department of Transportation, she said.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at 423-757-6569 or bbenton@timesfreepress.com.
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. Benton ...
Great Job on the article Ben. Please DON'T STOP your reporting of commercial vehicle safety. Each time you see or hear of a crash - check it out; I bet it's about what you reported on. Tired truckers, no under-ride, speeding, falsifying log books. Stay on top of it Ben! Too many people are dying or being seriously injured.
I think that this is a good move to ensure the safety of the people. Making sure that every truck is safe to ride. All the drivers should first check the every truck parts before riding their truck. Safety first must be applied at all cost.
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