Share the Road Heads to Pennsylvania Turnpike During Annual Safety Break

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's annual Safety Break, the Share the Road tractor-trailer will be at the Allentown Service Plaza this Friday. Share the Road Professional Driver Paul Gattin will join the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association to share his advice from years of accident-free driving.

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The Safety Break will run Friday, August 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to the Allentown Service Plaza, trucks will also be set up at the Sidling Hill Service Plaza. These are two of the largest volume service plazas that serve both sides of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This year's theme is "Know the Blind Spots." The emphasis will be to teach motorists about the blind spots around tractor-trailers, but also that every vehicle has blind spots when traveling on the road.

Share the Road Professional Driver Paul Gattin brings his 3 million miles and 34 years of accident-free driving experience to the event. He, along with the other Share the Road Professional Drivers, is part of an elite team of truck drivers who deliver the trucking industry's safety message across the country.  

"Every vehicle has potential blind spots," said Paul Gattin, a professional truck driver for ABF Freight System. "These blind spots can be larger around tractor-trailers, so it is important to teach other motorists the safest way to pass a truck. By interacting with drivers at these service plazas, I think we can make a difference and save lives."

"We at Mack are proud to sponsor Share the Road, which has a direct impact on the safety of our nation's roadways," said Kevin Flaherty, senior vice president, U.S. and Canada, Mack Trucks, Inc.  "We're particularly pleased today to have the program in a part of the country where every Mack truck sold in North America is produced, where our soon-to-be-opened Customer Center is located, and where we continue to bring customers for the true Mack brand experience."

Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the roads safely with large trucks. An elite team of professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles deliver life-saving messages to millions of motorists annually. The safety program is sponsored by Mack Trucks, Inc. and Michelin North America, Inc., www.atastr.org.

The American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences, and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the United States. www.truckline.com

SOURCE American Trucking Associations