Share the Road Returns to Montana to Promote Highway Safety For High School Students

BILLINGS, Mont., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Montana Motor Carriers Association and the American Trucking Associations team up with the national Share the Road highway safety program to educate high school students on how to drive around large trucks.  Professional truck drivers, with millions of accident-free driving miles, will demonstrate safety measures critical to saving lives on Montana highways to students. Students at West High School and the Lincoln Center will have the opportunity to climb inside the cab of a tractor-trailer and see, first-hand, what a professional truck driver can and cannot see while driving.  The tour stopped at Skyview High School yesterday.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100129/ATALOGO)

Who:              
Share the Road professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free driving miles
American Trucking Associations
Montana Motor Carriers Association

What:            
A demonstration of highway safety measures will be conducted for students as part of the national Share the Road safety tour. The local news media can interview elite drivers at the school or ride in the cab of a tractor-trailer during a "ride-along" on the highway.

When:            
Wednesday, June 27 (Skyview High School) 8:00 am until 2:00 pm
Thursday, June 28 (West High School) 8:00 am until 2:00 pm
Friday, June 29 (Lincoln Center) 8:00 am until 2:00 pm

Where:          
West High School (2201 Saint Johns Avenue, Billings, MT) – Thursday
Lincoln Center (415 North 30th Street, Billings, MT) - Friday

Interviews:   
Professional drivers and safety partners will be available for media interviews during the day.  This safety advice is critical for Montana motorists because:

• Motor Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of all teen deaths, killing between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers every year (Allstate Foundation).
• The fatal crash rate among 16-to-19 year olds is four times that of older drivers. (Allstate Foundation).
• 35 percent of all truck-involved highway fatalities occur in a truck's blind spots (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).
• Up to 75 percent of all truck-involved fatalities are unintentionally initiated by car drivers (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety).

About Share the Road:
Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the roads safely with large trucks. An elite team of professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles deliver life-saving messages to millions of motorists annually. The safety program is sponsored by Mack Trucks, Inc. and Michelin North America, Inc. www.atastr.org

SOURCE American Trucking Associations