[Nfbf-l] Fw: [OandM] Forwarded to O&M list serve by Freda Tepfer [Wcb-l] FwPedestrian Safety EnhancementAct Call for Cosponsors
Jody W. Ianuzzi
jody at thewhitehats.com
Sun Jan 25 00:51:58 UTC 2009
Info on a bill about to be introduced to Congress
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of To direct the Secretary of
Transportation to study and establish a motor vehicle safety standard that
provides for a means of alerting blind and other pedestrians of motor
vehicle operation.
link to bill introduced in 2008
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR05734:@@@P
Freda Tepfer
student of O&M at UALR
residing in Walla Walla WA
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: wcb-l-bounces at wcbinfo.org [mailto:wcb-l-bounces at wcbinfo.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Marlaina Lieberg
>>> Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 8:31 PM
>>> To: wcb-l at wcbinfo.org
>>> Subject: [Wcb-l] Fw: [leadership] Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act Call
>>> for
>>> Cosponsors
>>>
>>> Hello WCB.
>>> It's time to contact your Congress person in Washington, D.C. to request
>>> that he or she sign on as an original co-sponsor of the Pedestrian
>>> Safety
>>> Enhancement Act. This has a direct impact on the lives of the blind,
>>> and it is very very important. As you will see from reading what Eric
>>> ridges
>>> posted to the Leadership list, this is the legislation involving quiet
>>> cars.
>>>
>>> Tell your congress person that Rep. Towns (D-NY and Rep. Stearns (R-FL
>>> will>>> be re-introducing this important bill, and you'd like him or her
>>> to sign on >>> as an original co-sponsor.
>>> If you haven't had the chance to experience a quiet car, let me tell you
>>> that my brother-in-law has one and he drove by me three times on my
>>> quiet
>>> street last weekend and I didn't know he was there. This post will give
>>> you
>>>
>>> the facts, and an e-mail to your congress person asking her or him to
>>> sign
>>> on to this legislation as a co-sponsor would be very helpful and very
>>> much
>>> appreciated. Also, it would help to know what their response was to
>>> your
>>> request. Having these responses helps both WCB and ACB track the mood
>>> of
>>> our friends in Congress in Washington, D.C. By helping with this
>>> effort,
>>> you could be responsible for helping to save lives.
>>> Please read on to learn the facts of the bill. If you do not know who
>>> your
>>> Congress person is in D.C., you can visit
>>>
>>> www.leg.wa.gov
>>>
>>> and type in your address; you will be given your state and national
>>> reps.
>>> All you are asking them to do is sign on as original co-sponsors to the
>>> Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act along with with Rep. Towns (D-NY and
>>> Rep. >>> Stearns (R-FL
>>>
>>> And now here's the information. Again, please let me know when (not if
>>> since my hope is you will all do this and not think somebody else will
>>> handle it) you hear back from your congress person.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance for what I know you'll do!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Marlaina
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>
>>> From: "Eric Bridges" <ebridges at acb.org
>>>
>>> To: "'leadership-acb.org'" <leadership at acb.org
>>>
>>> Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 10:24 AM
>>>
>>> Subject: [leadership] Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act Call for
>>> Cosponsors
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As we prepare for the ACB Legislative Seminar in February, work is
>>> continuing on reintroducing The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act. Below
>>> is
>>> a Dear Colleague letter that Rep. Towns (D-NY and Rep. Stearns (R-FL)
>>> have
>>> put together in order to solicit original cosponsors. This letter is
>>> pasted
>>> below this message. I have also posted a link below that shows the list
>>> of
>>> cosponsors from the 110th Congress. I encourage you to reach out to your
>>> members in order to seek active support for this legislative language.
>>> Please let me know when your member agrees to sign on as a cosponsor.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Eric
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR05734:@@@P
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sign on to Protect Pedestrians from the Dangers of Quiet Cars
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Endorsing Organizations: National Federation of the Blind, American
>>> Council
>>> of the Blind
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Dear Colleague,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I am writing today to welcome you back to the 111th Congress, and thank
>>> you
>>> for your support of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, which I first
>>> introduced
>>>
>>> in the 110th Congress (H.R. 5734). This critical legislation made
>>> significant progress in the last Congress with 88 cosponsors. I hope
>>> that
>>> you will sign on again to become an original-cosponsor and actively work
>>> to
>>>
>>> ensure passage
>>> of this legislation in the 111th Congress. The deadline for sign-on as
>>> an
>>>
>>> original co-sponsor is XXXXXXXXXXXX.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We'd like to bring your attention to the article below, published in the
>>> Minnesota press this week after an eight year-old boy was struck by a
>>> hybrid
>>> Toyota Prius while riding his bicycle with a friend. The boy was not
>>> seriously
>>> injured, but was thrown onto the hood of the car. The boy's mother
>>> pointed
>>> out
>>>
>>> that the car was "totally silent" when the driver pulled over to the
>>> side
>>> of
>>> the road to see if her son was okay.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This dangerous incident points to the importance of the Pedestrian
>>> Safety
>>> Enhancement Act which will direct the Secretary of Transportation to
>>> study
>>> and
>>>
>>> establish a motor vehicle safety standard that will provide a means of
>>> alerting the blind, elderly and young pedestrians of nearby cars in
>>> order
>>> to
>>> insure
>>>
>>> pedestrian safety. The study will determine the most practical means by
>>> which blind and other pedestrians can be warned of nearby vehicles, to a
>>> comparable
>>>
>>> degree that they are alerted of the presence of vehicles with internal
>>> combustion engines. Once this safety standard is determined and the
>>> findings
>>> are
>>>
>>> reported to Congress, it will be applied to all new automobiles
>>> manufactured
>>> or sold in the United States beginning two years after the issuing of
>>> the
>>>
>>> standard.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In recent years, the presence of hybrid, electric and other
>>> environmentally
>>> friendly cars has dramatically increased on our Nation's roads, with the
>>> commendable
>>>
>>> goal of decreasing air pollution and reducing fossil fuel consumption
>>> for
>>> the benefit of preserving our planet. These cars have been lauded for
>>> their
>>> important
>>>
>>> contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases, as well as their
>>> quieter
>>> engines. There is no question that in the coming years, we can expect to
>>> see
>>>
>>> a further increase in the number of consumers who choose to drive these
>>> environmentally friendly automobiles, and with good reason. However, it
>>> is
>>> important
>>>
>>> to consider potentially unintended consequences of essentially
>>> eliminating
>>> the noise emitted by the engines of these quiet cars; specifically, the
>>> potential
>>>
>>> threat to safety that quieter cars pose for blind, elderly and young
>>> pedestrians. As illuminated by the unfortunate incident in Minnesota,
>>> this
>>> has become
>>>
>>> an urgent safety issue.
>>>
>>> We urge you to join us in cosponsoring The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement
>>> Act
>>> so that we may work towards protecting the safety of all pedestrians
>>> while
>>>
>>> continuing to increase the presence of environmentally friendly vehicles
>>> on
>>> our roadways. For further information about H.R. 5734, or to cosponsor
>>> this
>>>
>>> legislation, please contact Emily Khoury (Rep. Towns) at 5-5936 or
>>> emily.khoury at mail.house.gov, or James Thomas (Rep. Stearns), at 5-5744
>>> or
>>> james.thomas at mail.house.gov.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> /s /s
>>>
>>> Edolphus "Ed" Towns Cliff Stearns
>>>
>>> Member of Congress Member of
>>> Congress
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Article from KARE Channel 11 News in Minnesota
>>>
>>> http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=510106
>>>
>>> Visit the website for video coverage by KARE channel 11 News
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Wcb-l mailing list
>>> Wcb-l at wcbinfo.org
>>> http://wcbinfo.org/mailman/listinfo/wcb-l_wcbinfo.org
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Ubww mailing list
>>> Ubww at wcbinfo.org
>>> http://wcbinfo.org/mailman/listinfo/ubww_wcbinfo.org
>>>
>
>
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