Share the Road Safely in Springfield; Professional Truck Drivers Offer Safe Driving Tips

Over 46,400 vehicles travel I-55 through Springfield each day. With so many vehicles on the highways, it's more important than ever that motorists learn to share the road safely with large trucks and other commercial vehicles.

In a highway scenario, professional truck drivers will demonstrate how to drive safely around tractor-trailers on local highways and provide a truck ride-along for reporters and photographers because:

  * 75% of all truck-related car fatalities are initiated by car drivers
  * 35% of all truck-related car fatalities occur in a truck's blind spots
  * Watching this demonstration will help reduce accidents

Most drivers were never taught how to share the road safely with trucks, nor do they understand that there are large blind spots around trucks where cars become "invisible". That's why on April 10th, professional truck drivers, Jenny Zinkel -- with 10 years of experience and over 800,000 accident-free miles, and Richard Seigle -- with 24 years of experience and over 1.9 million accident-free miles, will give a safety demonstration and truck ride-along to teach motorists how to stay safe on our nation's highways.

To demonstrate a tractor-trailer's blind spots, cars and trucks will be placed in the front, rear and sides of the trucks -- and will "disappear" from the truck driver's view. Zinkel and Seigle will also provide tips on safe merging techniques, and stopping and following distances on Thursday morning at Roadway Express. The American Trucking Associations (ATA), Mack Trucks and the Illinois Trucking Association will sponsor the event.

The Share the Road program travels across America presenting safety demonstrations to the media in an effort to inform the public and save lives. Currently a partnership between the ATA and Mack Trucks, Inc., the program educates millions of motorists annually. For more information please see: www.atasharetheroad.com

Rides will be available for the media immediately following the news conference.

  WHEN:   Thursday, April 10th, 10:00 AM

  WHERE:  Roadway Express, Inc., 3650 North Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL
          Directions:  From I-55 take Sangamon Avenue westbound. Turn right
          (north) at the first stoplight onto Dirksen Parkway.  Travel north
          on Dirksen approx 1 mile.  Go under a railroad trestle.  Roadway
          is the first driveway on the right.

  WHO:    Jenny Zinkel, ATA's 2001 America's Road Team Captain, FedEx
          Ground, Peoria, IL

          Richard Seigle, Professional Truck Driver, Roadway Express, Inc.,
          Chicago, IL

          Master Sgt. Rick Hectorr, Illinois State Police, Springfield, IL

          Robert Stranczek, President, Illinois Trucking Association,
          Chicago, IL

          Ellen Serrano, American Trucking Associations, Alexandria, VA

          Tractor-trailers provided by Mack dealer, Mack Sales & Service of
          Decatur, Inc., FedEx Ground, and Roadway Express, Inc.