[il-talk] FW: [Nfb-announce] U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter Introduce Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act

[Syed Yousufuddin]

> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:17:13 -0500
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
> From: JFreeh at nfb.org
> Subject: [Nfb-announce] U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter Introduce Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
> 
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> 
> 
> 
> CONTACT:
> 
> Chris Danielsen
> 
> Director of Public Relations
> 
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> 
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> 
> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
> 
> 
> />U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter
> Introduce Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
> 
> National Federation of the Blind Applauds Measure
> to Protect Lives and Preserve Independence of Blind Americans
> 
> Washington, DC (April 22, 2009): Senators John 
> Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced 
> a bill, S. 841, intended to protect the blind and 
> other pedestrians from injury or death as a 
> result of silent vehicle technology. The 
> Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 
> requires the Secretary of Transportation to 
> conduct a study on how to protect the blind and 
> others from being injured or killed by vehicles 
> using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies.
> 
> Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and 
> evaluate traffic using their vision, they must 
> listen to traffic to discern its speed, 
> direction, and other attributes in order to 
> travel safely and independently. Other people, 
> including pedestrians who are not blind, 
> bicyclists, runners, and small children, also 
> benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle 
> engines. New vehicles that employ hybrid or 
> electric engine technology can be silent, 
> rendering them extremely dangerous in situations 
> where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.
> 
> “The National Federation of the Blind appreciates 
> the wise and decisive action taken today by 
> Senators Kerry and Specter to preserve the right 
> to safe and independent travel for the blind,” 
> said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National 
> Federation of the Blind. “The blind, like all 
> pedestrians, must be able to travel to work, to 
> school, to church, and to other places in our 
> communities without being injured or 
> killed. This bill will benefit all pedestrians 
> for generations to come as new vehicle 
> technologies become more prevalent. The blind of 
> America will do everything in our power to ensure its swift passage.”
> 
> “I’m a major proponent of hybrid vehicles––I own 
> one, I drive one, and I've seen firsthand their 
> environmental and economic benefits,” said 
> Senator Kerry. “The market is demanding new 
> technologies in the auto industry, and Americans 
> are demanding we finally kick our foreign oil 
> addiction. As we continue to promote our energy 
> independence, however, we must do more to ensure 
> the safety of those who use senses other than 
> sight to navigate the roads. I look forward to 
> working with Secretary LaHood to ensure that 
> hybrid vehicles are safe for everyone.”
> 
> “Blind people have the same right to safe travel 
> as all other pedestrians,” said Senator 
> Specter. “I look forward to working with my 
> colleagues on this important legislation to 
> ensure that the blind and other pedestrians can 
> continue to travel safely and independently.”
> 
> 
> 
> ###
> 
> 
> 
> About the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> With more than 50,000 members, the National 
> Federation of the Blind is the largest and most 
> influential membership organization of blind 
> people in the United States. The NFB improves 
> blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, 
> research, technology, and programs encouraging 
> independence and self-confidence. It is the 
> leading force in the blindness field today and 
> the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 
> the NFB opened the National Federation of the 
> Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and 
> training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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