Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 22–Committee
on Transportation

 

FILE NUMBER..........

 

Assembly Concurrent RESOLUTION—Commending the Highway Watch program and the planned participation of the Nevada Motor Transport Association in this nationwide effort to improve the safety and security of America’s highways.

 

    Whereas, Trucking is a large and diverse industry with more

 than 3 million drivers who are a potential army of eyes and ears to

 monitor for security threats and highway dangers; and

    Whereas, There has been a sharp increase in traffic congestion,

 crime and road rage that make our nation’s highways more

 treacherous and make providing assistance to those in need more

 challenging than ever before in our history; and

    Whereas, There are more than 83,000 wireless calls from

 motorists to emergency centers each day, but many callers do not

 know their location, particularly at night or during the emotional

 strain of an emergency situation, and there are more than 41,000

 traffic fatalities each year with approximately half of these deaths

 occurring before victims reach medical care facilities; and

    Whereas, Highway Watch, which began in Colorado in

 November 1998, strives to reduce the number of highway

 accidents, serious injuries and deaths through the identification of

 unsafe drivers, drunken driving, poor road or weather conditions,

 poor highway or construction zone signage, and motorists

 displaying road rage; and

    Whereas, Highway Watch is a volunteer effort of dedicated

 professional truck drivers who are committed to guarding the

 welfare of the motoring public and strengthening the security of the

 United States in these uncertain times; and

    Whereas, Through the Highway Watch program, an elite group

 of professional truck drivers are specially trained to use their

 wireless location and communication technology to report

 accidents, breakdowns, hazardous conditions and other highway

 dangers to an operator who takes the report from the driver and

 contacts the proper authorities as determined by each individual

 state; and

    Whereas, The American Trucking Associations, in partnership

 with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of the United

 States Department of Transportation, administers Highway Watch

 by providing grant money to participating states; and

    Whereas, The American Trucking Associations reports that

 Highway Watch is formed through a network of partnerships,

 including the trucking industry, law enforcement agencies, and state

 and federal departments of transportation; and

    Whereas, The state trucking associations are the heart of the

Highway Watch program which is currently operating in Alabama,

 Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky,

 Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New York, Ohio,

 Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia,

 Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin; and

    Whereas, The Nevada Motor Transport Association is willing

 to operate the Highway Watch program within this state and

 establish the basic operational procedures of the program

 concerning, without limitation, driver qualification, training format,

 frequency of training sessions, and recruitment of drivers and safety

 directors; now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the

 Senate Concurring, That the American Trucking Associations

 and the dedicated professional truck drivers participating in

 Highway Watch are hereby commended for their efforts to improve

 today’s travel environment and to increase the safety and security

 of the nation’s highways; and be it further

    Resolved, That the Nevada Motor Transport Association is

 hereby commended for its commitment to take on the responsibility

 of coordinating and administering the Highway Watch program in

 our state; and be it further

    Resolved, That, once it is implemented in Nevada, Highway

 Watch will make a significant contribution to highway safety and

 will aid the national effort to monitor potential security concerns;

 and be it further

    Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and

 transmit a copy of this resolution to Daryl E. Capurro, Managing

 Director of the Nevada Motor Transport Association.

 

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