This month I am doing something I have not done before. I am dedicating our May 2006 FORS Update to a man I never met. Our total efforts over the past three years have been dedicated to the men and women of law enforcement and emergency services who have lost their lives in roadside tragedies. This month I am dedicating our update to a man named David Lefancheck.
Nearly one month ago, I received an e-mail that David had been killed. I had never heard his name before nor had I ever heard of the company he worked for… Ivey’s Towing and Transport of Raleigh (North Carolina). David was hooking up a large truck to his tow truck on I-40 near Raleigh, NC when he was struck by a pick-up and killed. DON’T FORGET THE TOW TRUCK DRIVERS! They are out there day in and day out standing side-by-side with our law enforcement officers, medics and fire fighters. Effective this July, TOW TRUCK DRIVERS (aka Public Service Vehicles) will be covered under North Carolina’s MOVE OVER LAW. Please, don’t forget about the towers!
This month I am also asking for everyone to participate in an informal survey for us. Yes, I may publicize the results, however, I will not include your name nor the name of your organization. Please take a moment to respond to a few questions. If you head a department (law enforcement, fire, emergency, towers, etc.), I would be grateful if you could take the time to ask those who work for you or with you to answer these questions as well. If you are not a member of any of the above departments, there are questions for you as well. Please let me know your location and/or the location that your department covers:
1- Have you noticed a trend in motorists moving over or reducing their speed when approaching your stopped vehicle (on the shoulder or at an accident scene)?
2- Do you feel that it is mostly motorists, truckers or both that are either complying or not complying to the move over law?
3- Is there a group that rarely moves over or reduces their speed (ex: out of state motorists)?
4- Where do you see or hear about the Move Over Law the most? Amber alert message boards, DOT signage, newspaper reports, etc
5- If you could name one area that you feel would reach the most motorists and/or truckers to promote the Move Over Law, where would that be (other than those listed under number 4
6- If you are a law enforcement officers, fire fighter, medic, tower, etc., how often do you feel as if you are coming within inches of being hit? Daily, weekly, monthly, etc.?
Again, this is an informal survey. I would be grateful to have the results by mid-May if possible.
If you are a member of the North Carolina media… This is an important summer for us. The amended Move Over Law will go into effect! We need your assistance publicizing this! If you feel your station or newspaper can offer public service announcements, PLEASE contact me as soon as possible.
In regards to the billboards for North Carolina, we are still about $25,000 away from our $30,000 goal. We are hoping that the North Carolina Outdoor Advertising Association will be able to work with us should we not reach our full goal by this summer. If you can help us reach our goal PLEASE SEND IN YOUR DONATIONS ASAP!!!!!!!
We have had MANY requests for FORS Move Over Law t-shirts. We should be approving the new design layout soon. Once approved, printing should be about 3-4 weeks. Several people have ordered the remainder of the shirts we had available earlier this month. We are still holding your shirts and will send them out when we get your checks.
For those interested in a LARGE quantity of bumper stickers that you would like to purchase for your department, please let me know. We will be placing the order shortly.
EBAY!! We have been approved as an EBAY charity! We can sell items on e-bay and all proceeds will go to FORS. If you own a business that can donate items to FORS to be auctioned on Ebay, PLEASE contact me…. Hotel stays, trips, restaurant items, cars, homes, etc. 
Several people have mentioned some errors or lack of updates on our website (links, spelling errors, donation dedications). I apologize and we hope to have the site corrected and updated this summer. Thank you to Joey Webb, Jr. for teaching me about the world behind websites. UGH!
Please note, I will be unavailable from May 30th through June 7th. In the event of an emergency, please contact me on my cell phone at 828-506-5139 or leave a message at my home number 828-926-8389. I will check my messages periodically. We are taking our children to Disney World and then off to Tampa for my brother-in-law’s wedding.
As always, I thank you for supporting our efforts. Please feel free to forward our updates to everyone you can. Lives depend on it…even yours!
- News and Updates
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