Rep. Johnson proposes bill to prevent highway traffic deaths

Congressman introduces bill to protect traveling public by requiring automatic braking systems

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Seeking to make highways around the nation safer for drivers, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) introduced the “Safe Roads Act of 2015” (H.R. 3536).

In April of 2015, five nursing students were killed and three others seriously injured when a tractor-trailer failed to stop and plowed into traffic that had stopped on I-16 in Georgia.

A few weeks later, in May of 2015, five more people died when another tractor-trailer smashed into two cars and burst into flames on the same section of highway.

“Tragically, the simple installation of automatic braking systems on all commercial motor vehicles – a $500 safety feature – might have prevented these deaths and countless others across the country,” said Johnson. “America’s roads and highways should be safe for all drivers. Taking full advantage of technologies that are available and proven to anticipate and prevent crashes will save lives.”

According the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in 2011 alone, commercial motor vehicles were involved in nearly 130,000 crashes, resulting in more than 4,000 fatalities and 80,000 injuries.

Truck and bus traffic on our roadways are expected to increase due to the forecasted growth in population and the corresponding increase in movement of freight and passengers. Any increase in truck and bus traffic also increases the potential for additional accidents.

If passed and signed into law, requiring Forward Collision Avoidance and Mitigation or (F-CAM) would bring down the costs per vehicle to approximately $500, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) estimates -- which far outweighs the costs in terms of preventing lost productivity, injury and loss of life.

Atlanta-area Reps. John Lewis and David Scott are co-sponsors of the bill.

Supporting groups: Road Safe America, The Center for Auto Safety, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Truck Safety Coalition, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT).