AAA Texas Offers Steps for Improved Truck Safety; A Traffic Safety Forum on Sharing the Freeway - Trucks and Cars

DALLAS--March 12, 2004--

WHAT: AAA Texas and its traffic safety partners are co-sponsoring the Traffic Safety Forum in Dallas, Texas. Following the forum, an AAA Texas representative will offer a "driver safety demonstration" for the media, using an 18-wheeler to help teach motorists how to share the road safely with truck drivers.

WHO: Rita Johnston of AAA Texas will discuss the findings of an AAA Foundation study on truck/car driving safety at 10 AM. Sponsors of the forum include AAA Texas, the Citizens for Traffic Safety of Greater Dallas, the Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas, Greater Dallas Crime Commission, American Society of Safety Engineers (SW chapter), and the North Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 (Traffic Forum 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM) (Safety Demonstration at 12:00 noon "outside in parking lot next to big rig")

WHERE: American Red Cross 4800 Harry Hines Blvd. Dallas, TX 75235

INFO: During the safety demonstration at 12:00 (noon), an AAA Texas representative will be available for media interviews on truck and car safety. A representative with the American Trucking Association will provide insight from a trucker's perspective, and a deputy with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department will discuss enforcement of big rigs on Dallas highways.

To reduce crashes, AAA Texas offers these safety guidelines to motorists:

-- Steer clear of blind spots. Following a truck too closely obscures your view - and the truck driver is unable to see you less than 30 feet behind the truck.

-- Do not linger alongside a truck; there are large blind spots around trucks where cars "disappear" from view and the driver can't see you.

-- If you're following a truck and you can't see the driver's face in the truck's side mirrors, the truck driver can't see you.

-- Allow trucks adequate space to maneuver; they make wide turns at intersections and require additional lanes to turn.

-- Avoid cutting in front of a truck; fully loaded trucks weigh up to 80,000 pounds and take the length of a football field to stop. Most cars weigh about 3,000 pounds.

AAA Texas, an affiliate of AAA National, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas' members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance service, insurance and financial products, travel agency, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.