Arlington, VA (September 17, 2015) – The Truck Safety Coalition (TSC), a partnership between Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT), announced the election of Dawn King as its President and Jane Mathis as its Vice President, effective immediately.

Ms. King, a board member of CRASH, connected with TSC after her father, Bill Badger, was killed in a large truck crash in December of 2004. The tired trucker fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into her dad’s car just before Christmas. She and her family spent Christmas coping with the loss of their father and wondering what could be done to ensure others did not have to experience the hardship they were feeling. Dawn’s thoughts quickly became actions and she became an ardent advocate for truck safety. Her efforts include helping new families dealing with a tragic loss to working with new volunteers to transition into the difficult life of advocating for stronger safety standards, and communicating via the web and social media on transportation issues.

Ms. Mathis, a board member of PATT, also experienced loss as a result of a large truck crash in 2004. In March of that year, her son and his wife of five days were killed by a truck driver that fell asleep and rear ended their car, which was stopped in traffic. Following the crash, she learned about large truck crashes and became increasingly more involved in educating others through advocacy. As a result of Ms. Mathis’ truck safety advocacy efforts, she was appointed to be a member of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee. Ms. Mathis has been a guest speaker at a number of agency and law enforcement events, and a strong voice on issues such as fatigue.

“I am so pleased that my good friends and fellow truck safety advocates are taking on these new positions for our organization,” said Daphne Izer, founder and board member of PATT. “In their new roles as President and Vice President, Dawn and Jane will ensure that the Truck Safety Coalition continue the missions of CRASH and PATT, to reduce the number of death and injuries caused by truck-related crashes, provide compassionate support to truck crash survivors and families of truck crash victims, and educate the public, policy-makers, and media about truck safety issues.“