News & Events

Ted Bassett presents "Promoting Highway Safety Through Legislation" award to Congressman James McGovern

September 14, 2011

APITLA Honors U.S. Rep. James McGovern for Commitment to Safe Trucking

Worcester Native To Receive 2011 “Promoting Highway Safety Through Legislation” Award

WESTBOROUGH, MA and ST. LOUIS, MO - September 14, 2011 –The Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (APITLA) is pleased to honor Massachusetts Congressman James McGovern with its “Promoting Highway Safety Through Legislation” award for his work as a champion of safe highways. Worcester attorney Edward (Ted) Bassett, Jr. of Mirick O’Connell, LLP will present the award this Friday during APITLA’s National Interstate Trucking Summit in St. Louis.

APITLA is a national association of attorneys who have joined forces to help eliminate unsafe and illegal interstate trucking practices and reduce the number of serious trucking accidents throughout the United States.

The recipient of the “Promoting Highway Safety Through Legislation” is an elected state or federal official who has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting interstate trucking highway safety through legislation. As chairman of APITLA’s legislative committee, Bassett selected this year’s recipient.

“Congressman McGovern has led the charge against the trucking industry’s push to allow heavier and longer trucks onto our highways,” Bassett said. “The Congressman shares our concerns that increasing size and weight limits will lead to more accidents, since bigger trucks are harder to stop. APITLA applauds Rep. McGovern’s efforts to make America’s highways safer.”

In May, Rep. McGovern co-sponsored the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act (SHIPA), which will extend the common-sense truck size and weight limits already in place on Interstate highways to the entire National Highway System. Specifically, SHIPA will extend truck weight limits to 80,000 lbs, cap the length of tractor-trailer trucks at 53 feet and freeze the operation of long double and triple trailer trucks on the National Highway System. SHIPA will not take any truck off the road that is currently operating, but it will close loopholes that many states have used that create a confusing patchwork of truck size and weight limits across the country

“I am honored to receive this award, which recognizes the importance of making our highways a safer place for all of us -- and the next generation,” Rep. McGovern said. “We do not need bigger trucks on our highways, we need safer ones. Longer and heavier trucks require more stopping distance, have larger blind spots and increase the risks of rollover and of trailers swaying into adjacent lanes. I look forward to working with APITLA members on many other highway safety initiatives in the years to come.”

Bassett is the chair of the Mirick O’Connell Personal Injury Practice Group and a member of Mirick O’Connell’s Individual Client Services Group. The Individual Client Services Group provides services to valued clients for Trusts and Estates, Family Law, Elder Law and Personal Injury.

About APITLA

The Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America is a national association of committed lawyers who have joined together to help eliminate unsafe and illegal interstate trucking practices. Our association's members hope to bring about change by educating the general public, other lawyers, law students, legislators, trucklines, truck drivers, judges and juries about the hard facts surrounding common unsafe or illegal trucking practices and procedures in America today. Through our combined efforts in learning, litigation and legislation, we are working today to make America's highways a safer place tomorrow for our families, our clients, and all Americans. For more information on APITLA, please visit www.apitlamerica.com.

For more information:

Amy McHugh
Greenough Communications
amchugh@greenoughcom.com