Drive Safer Sunday Garners Support from Senators Chambliss, Isakson and Governor Perdue

ATLANTA--Road Safe America and the brothers of Sigma Chi will host U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, a University of Georgia and Sigma Chi alumnus, as they campaign to raise awareness for Drive Safer Sunday. Road Safe America will bring its Annual Drive Safer Sunday message “Buckle-Up • Slow Down • Stay Alert” to the University of Georgia campus on Saturday, November 25th.

Road Safe America promotes Drive Safer Sunday as a reminder to drivers returning from the holiday break to take extra precautions on the busiest travel day of the year – the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

On November 25, from noon to kick-off of the University of Georgia vs. Georgia Tech football game, Road Safe America will partner with the brothers of the Sigma Chi Fraternity in Athens, Georgia to distribute Drive Safer Sunday information and giveaways to fans from the front yard of the Sigma Chi house located at 590 S. Lumpkin.

U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. introduced and passed a Senate resolution on November 16 to designate Sunday, November 26, 2006, as “Drive Safer Sunday.” Governor Sonny Perdue also issued a statewide proclamation designating the same day as “Drive Safer Sunday” in Georgia.

Road Safe America will air public service announcements on Georgia radio stations throughout the week leading up to Drive Safer Sunday. Senators Chambliss and Isakson also produced a Drive Safer Sunday public service announcement, which was distributed to television stations and cable networks throughout Georgia.

Road Safe America was co-founded by Steve and Susan Owings after they lost their 22-year-old son, Cullum, in a crash on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. In 2002, Cullum and his brother Pierce were returning to Washington and Lee University after a visit home for the holidays. A few miles from campus, the boys were struck from behind by a tractor-trailer speeding on cruise control — on the busiest traffic day of the year. Pierce survived; Cullum died before rescuers could free him from the wreckage.

In addition, Road Safe America has joined with trucking industry executives to petition the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to require speed governors set at 68 miles per hour for tractor-trailers. Road Safe America also works to promote safe driving habits for passenger and truck drivers.