The Illinois House Committee on Transportation and Motor Vehicles held a public hearing, yesterday, in Schaumburg, to get input on how the General Assembly should spend 3.6 billion dollars earmarked for transportation projects in the next several years. Several of the biggest movers and shakers in the transportation field testified at the hearing, including Frank Kruesi, president of the Chicago Transit Authority, the head of the Illinois Road Builders Association, the head of the local Amalgamated Transit Union, and myself, representing We Need Seat Belts.
Supporters
bring you Rob Sherman Advocacy.
Click here to join them.
My testimony covered two separate and distinct areas: the need for seat belts on all forms of public transportation, and a proposal for a very high speed, long distance network of regional transportation in the Chicago area.
I first testified about seat belts. I briefly outlined the reason for the need, which you've read about in many of my past Liberal News and Commentary articles. I stressed that every bus and train rollover, most side-impact collision of busses and trains, and many train derailments have resulted in massive, unnecessary, avoidable injuries and many needless deaths. When the accidents occur, passengers go flying through the air until they smash into something that stops them. Sometimes, passengers are catapulted right through the window, only to have the vehicle roll over on top of them and crush them to a slow, terrifying, excrutiatingly painful death.
One of the state representatives asked me what the current state of the law was regarding seat belts on public transportation. I replied that state and local agencies generally don't require seat belts on public transportation because the federal government doesn't require it, and they rely on the feds to decide whether seat belts should be required. It seems that there are only two types of public transportation that requires seat belts. One type is busses for special needs passengers. They include school busses for very young (under age 6) children, and busses for handicapped passengers, such as physically or mentally disabled children and crippled or senior adults. The other type is busses in those school districts or states which have passed their own seat belt laws for public transportation vehicles.
I concluded my testimony on the seat belt issue by asking that legislation be adopted at the earliest possible time that would mandate three-point seat belts for every passenger seating position on newly acquired vehicles. The four members of the Illinois House of Representatives who hosted the hearing indicated that they were favorably impressed with my presentation and would give serious consideration to the adoption of my proposal.
In my next Liberal News and Commentary, I'll tell you about my testimony regarding my proposal for a very high speed, long distance network of regional transportation in the Chicago area.
Rob Sherman P. O. Box
7410
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-7410
A post office box is used
because
the street address uses a curb mail box,
which is not secure.
Telephone: (847) 870-0700
Fax: (847) 870-1156
E-mail: rob followed by the at symbol followed by robsherman dot com