New York City Chapter of the National Waste & Recycling Association Unveils “I Drive 25” Campaign Endorsing Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero

NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2014 /3BL Media/ – The New York City chapter of the National Waste & Recycling Association (NW&RA) announced yesterday at the Vision Zero Fleets Safety Forum in Queens that its member trucks will be outfitted with bumper stickers that read: “I Drive 25: Support the Mayor’s Vision Zero Plan.”

You may view the “I Drive 25” bumper sticker design at bit.ly/IDrive25.

Following a series of traffic-related, pedestrian deaths, Mayor Bill de Blasio released a plan this year to reduce the number to zero by 2024—an approach known as Vision Zero. “The New York City chapter of the National Waste & Recycling Association endorses the Mayor’s Vision Zero plan,” said Tom Toscano, chapter president. “The waste and recycling industry in New York City has made significant strides in improving pedestrian safety—as well as the safety of its employees—in the past two decades, and embracing the Vision Zero initiative will help us build on this momentum. The ‘I Drive 25’ bumper stickers will be placed on each member’s trucks as a reminder to both drivers and pedestrians that safety comes first.”

NW&RA members receive weekly safety bulletins and have won the association’s prestigious national Driver of the Year award several times over the past five years.  NW&RA members are reminding their drivers that the speed limit in the City will decrease to 25 miles per hour in early November.

Although the vast majority of incidents involving commercial waste removal trucks are minor, the behaviors that cause these incidents are often the same as those that can lead to more serious accidents or fatalities, according to Mr. Toscano. Reducing the speed limit is an important step toward reducing the frequency and severity of these incidents.

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The National Waste & Recycling Association (NW&RA) is the trade association that represents the private sector waste and recycling services industry. Association members conduct business in all 50 states and include companies that collect and manage garbage, recycling and medical waste, equipment manufacturers and distributors and a variety of other service providers. NW&RA’s New York City Chapter is comprised of more than 90 companies, with the majority of the local industry’s employees and trucks. For more information about NW&RA and its NYC Chapter, visit www.wasterecycling.org/new-york-city.