I am not requesting a temporary exemption. The only parliamentary way in Congress at this point to get a vote on this important matter is to amend the Transportation Appropriations Act to suspend the law so a state can start toissue RFP’s.
Congressman Wolf is going to offer an amendment to the Transportation bill Friday morning, July 17. This afternoon, Governor Kaine sent a letter to the Chair of that House subcommittee.
For a reason I do NOT understand, Congressman Perriello is OPPOSING Congressman Wolf’s effort to keep Virginia’s rest areas open.
Your immediate action is needed!
AAA Mid Atlantic wrote Congressman Wolf (July 16):
“This issue is already resonating among the motoring public and the trucking industry. In fact, a growing number of motorists have expressed alarm about the decisions to close the rest areas and to cordon off their entrances.
In our view, there is no question that the safety of motorists will be negatively impacted by the closing of rest areas in Virginia. The problem goes well beyond the need to use restroom facilities. Long haul drivers need to stop to rest, drink caffeine, change drivers, etc. If they do not have a convenient option they may drive when they are too tired to do so. Nearly one-third of drivers (28%) say that they have nodded off or fallen asleep while driving a vehicle, according to extensive research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
It is estimated that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year, resulting in an estimated 1,500 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In fact, NHTSA reports that twenty percent of crashes and twelve percent of near-crashes were caused by drowsy drivers.
Please contact Congressman Perriello and urge his support of the Wolf Amendment.
Washington DC office (202) 225-4711; Charlottesville (434) 293-9631; Danville, (434) 791-2596; Farmville (434) 392-1997.
Rep. Perriello is on the House Transportation Committee.
Delegate Bob Marshall (703-853-4213 cell)
While this seems like a “no brainer,” I don’t think this legislation will be an easy slam dunk. There are obviously special interests who will oppose it, most obviously those who have businesses running gas stations and restaurants just off Interstate exits, who will see the privatized rest areas as unfair competition. I’m not saying I agree with them, if everyone has a fair shot at the bidding for the contracts for the rest stops I think that’s sufficient, but I understand why some people would oppose this.