EXECUTIVE & REGULATORY UPDATES – More Toll Roads a Possibility and Materials to Help Fight Distracted Driving
Megan Ekstrom
Vice-President of Government Affairs & Public Relations
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation
Toll Roads to Pay for Infrastructure Improvements?
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao this past week raised the prospect that needed infrastructure improvements may be funded to some extent by imposing tolls on more of the nation’s roads and bridges.
It was unclear whether she intends to expand tolling on the U.S. interstate system. The concept of granting massive tax credits to lure private infrastructure investment was the centerpiece of President Trump’s campaign promise to raise $1 trillion for roads and bridges. The MRF is an active member of the Alliance for Toll Free Interstates and is working with the coalition to encourage lawmakers to not turn existing roadways and interstates into toll roads to fund any infrastructure plan. The coalition has met with lawmakers from the Committees of jurisdiction and also sent letters to key Members of Congress urging them to not view tolls as the solution to paying for any infrastructure improvements.
New Materials to Help End Distracted Driving Available
Motorcyclists know firsthand that distracted driving is one of the fastest growing safety issues on the roads today. Distracted drivers aren’t just a threat to themselves: they are a danger to everyone else on the road. There is currently a national distracted driving effort initiated by the Department of Transportation which is focused on ways to change the behavior of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness, and education. The Products for Enforcement Action Kit (PEAK) aims to help others join the fight against texting and driving, a growing epidemic that took 3,154 lives in 2013 alone. This toolkit helps to alert the public to prepare for maximum high-visibility texting-ban enforcement. There will also be a paid media advertising campaign on stopping distracted driving which will run nationally April 3-10, 2017.
Click here to get more information including fact sheets on distracted driving as well as news releases and talking points for your own use and your organization’s use. https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials/distracted-driving/u-drive-u-text-u-pay/peak-enforcement-kit
About Motorcycle Riders Foundation
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.
