Transportation Cabinet
PUT THE BRAKES ON FATALITIES DAY - Transportation Cabinet Promotes Public Involvement in an Effort to Reduce Fatalities

FRANKFORT, KY (October 10, 2005) - With the focus on highway safety, officials from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, Kentucky Motor Transport Association and Frankfort Regional Medical Center held a special ceremony today at  Transportation Cabinet Headquarters in Frankfort recognizing October 10 as “Put The Brakes On Fatalities Day.” 

 “Whether as a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist we can and must all work together to reduce fatalities on Kentucky’s roadways,” said Deputy Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Adams. “We have to know and believe that we really can make a difference in this effort to save lives.” Adams also encouraged the public to take a firmer stand in keeping themselves and their loved ones from becoming a dreaded statistic and emphasized the Cabinet’s ongoing commitment to providing a safe and reliable transportation system for the Commonwealth. 

We commend the innovative programs that the Governor’s Executive Committee on Highway Safety, of which we are a part, has launched here in Kentucky to curb the destructive trends on our highways,” stated Greg Howard, Commissioner for Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement. “Each year over 40,000 people lose their lives in traffic accidents in this country. Last year, alone 964 perished in Kentucky.”  

Ned Sheehy, President and CEO of Kentucky Motor Transport Association and member of the Governor’s Executive Committee on Highway Safety addressed the responsibility each citizen has to adopt safe driving habits, buckle up and properly maintain their vehicles. “Imagine each day with ZERO traffic fatalities in Kentucky,” said Sheehy. “Each of us has a responsibility to do everything we can to achieve that goal.” 

"Too often an accident victim is no longer able to tell us why they didn't wear their seat belt, and we have the difficult task of telling the family about the loss of their loved one," said Dr. Rob Wycoff, Frankfort Regional Medical Center.  "Children learn to buckle-up by watching their parents use seat belts.  So your use of a seat belt may actually save two lives." 

The first annual “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day” was held October 10, 2001 and was initiated by the National Society of Professional Engineers. The goal then, as it is now, involved getting the message out to the public about major causes of highway fatalities, and, how to avoid them.