Steve Owings has been selected as the new chairman of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s safety advisory committee, which advises the federal government on policy and legislation surrounding trucking safety. You might know Owings, an Atlanta resident, as the co-founder of Road Safe America, an organization that fights for increased awareness about the dangers on our nation’s highways.
Owings is no bureaucrat. He’s a dedicated safety advocate who knows firsthand the dangers tractor-trailers can pose to motorists. He and his wife, Susan, founded Road Safe America after their son Cullum, 22, was killed in 2002 when his car was slammed from behind by a speeding semi truck while stopped in a traffic jam.
Common Sense Advocacy
Road Safe America has a 10-point list of initiatives it pushes to make our highways safer. While all regulations should be open to debate in Washington to ensure all voices are heard, some on this list are no-brainers. They include not allowing truck drivers to take medication that warns against operating heavy machinery unless OKed by a doctor, as well as scanning all drivers for sleep apnea as part of their required medical exams. People who suffer from sleep apnea are more prone to fatigue, a common cause of accidents.
The safety advisory committee Owings now chairs was established in 2006 to offer guidance to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which oversees trucking regulations and manages accident, inspection and other statistics regarding trucking companies. The committee has 19 members, including experts on the trucking industry, safety advocates and other professionals. They serve two-year terms.
About Us
The Truck Accident Attorneys at Fried Goldberg will work with anyone — trucking companies, insurance providers, advocates, and others — to improve the safety of our roads and highways. We wrote the book on trucking litigation — literally — and are sought out by other attorneys handling cases of accidents involving tractor-trailers. We’re proud to help drivers and passengers hurt by semi trucks.