Less than a month after his wife, Sarah, was struck and killed on her bike in Bethesda, Dan Langenkamp joined D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and other families in pressing Congress for new safety requirements to address an increase in deadly trucking accidents.
鈥淟ook my sons in the eye and tell them why you can鈥檛 implement these changes,鈥� said Langenkamp, standing next to his 10-year-old son, Oliver, at a news conference Monday outside the U.S. Capitol.
Sarah Langenkamp, 42, was struck and killed by a flat bed truck on Aug. 25 while riding a bike on River Road, near Little Creek Parkway in Montgomery County. No charges have been filed against the driver.
The mother of two had served in Ukraine, working for the State Department, and their family had recently moved to Bethesda.
A to help organizations involved in bike safety has already raised more than $270,000.
鈥淚 find it morally irresponsible — I find it repugnant — that we can鈥檛 implement simple measures that are readily available and inexpensive on trucks, to keep us from having deaths like Sarah鈥檚,鈥� Dan Langenkamp said.
He spoke along with family members of others whose lives have been lost in accidents involving trucks.
Members of the Truck Safety Coalition, along with Norton, called for what they call 鈥渃ritical truck safety鈥� reforms, as they released a report of the .
The report says the deadliest state for truck crashes per 100,000 residents is Wyoming, followed by South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas and Montana.
鈥淭he roadway safety crisis does not receive the attention it deserves,鈥� Norton said, noting she鈥檚 sponsoring legislation that would implement new requirements for trucks as well as provide more federal resources to deal with safety issues.
The advocates are seeking requirements for trucks of certain sizes to have rear and side underride guards, to prevent smaller vehicles from trapping drivers under them in accidents.
They also want automatic emergency braking and driver-assistance technology to be required on commercial motor vehicles.
Trucking industry representatives have said they are continually addressing safety issues. have said they are already dealing with burdensome regulations, while trying to hire more drivers.
Norton鈥檚 legislation is supported by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, and other Democrats in the House. Norton said they are still trying to get more support in the U.S. Senate, where new restrictions are opposed by some lawmakers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports deadly accidents involving at least one truck rose 13% between 2020 and 2021 — to about 5,600.
鈥淭ruck crash fatalities have increased 66% since 2009, costing victims and taxpayers an estimated $180 billion,鈥� said Joan Claybrook, chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH).
Safety advocates are also calling on U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to strengthen federal guidelines related to the trucking industry.
Dan Langenkamp鈥檚 young son Oliver stepped up to the microphones on Monday and joined his father in seeking to get something done.
鈥淢aybe we can have others鈥� parents not to have to go through the same thing as I do,鈥� he said.
