On
May 23, 2012, President Obama launched a comprehensive Digital Government
Strategy aimed at delivering better services to the American people. The
Strategy is built on a simple idea: that all Americans should be able to access
information from their government anywhere, anytime, and on any device.
As
we note the strategy's first anniversary today, I want to congratulate the
folks at DOT who have been working so hard to meet this Department's
obligations in the President's strategy.
Through
their efforts, the public can now access critical safety information about
passenger vehicles on their mobile devices. If a father is trying to select a
car safety seat as his baby becomes a toddler, the SaferCar app from
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is at his fingertips to help
him find the appropriate seat style. If a mother is looking for a new vehicle
at her local car dealership, SaferCar is in the palm of her hand with NHTSA's
5-star safety ratings.
That is useful government data made accessible to the people who need
it.
Today we celebrate Maritime Day, an annual opportunity to
recognize the contributions of the maritime industry and the U.S. Merchant
Marine.
The maritime industry and our merchant mariners have
supported our nation’s economy and our national security for more than 235
years. But this year, I am reminded of one mariner in particular, Eugene
Quidort, who, in February, finally received six medals from the Maritime Administration for his brave service to
our country with the United States Merchant Marine during World War II.
In 1943, while a midshipman at the U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy at Kings Point, NY, Quidort was serving aboard
the Esso Gettysburg, delivering
120,000 barrels of crude oil, when two German torpedoes hit the tanker. He was flung from the ship and, after swimming through oil, water, and sharks for three hours, was among a few survivors able to
find safety in a badly burned lifeboat. Tragically, 40 of his fellow crewmen, including three other cadets, were not as
fortunate.
Quidort was undaunted by his experience. He continued to support the war effort as a merchant mariner aboard another tanker, a hospital ship, and two different troop transport vessels. "As far as Hitler goes," he says, "I did my part."
Eugene Quidort’s service is in the fine tradition of
merchant mariners ready to answer any call during times of need. That
tradition dates back as far as 1775, and it continues today.
Last fall’s Hurricane Sandy relief effort showed that our
merchant mariners and the midshipmen of Kings Point are still prepared for
whatever comes their way.
Celebrating National Maritime Day at DOT, with U.S. Representative John Garamendi and Maritime Administrator David Matsuda
In 2010, if everyone age 5 and older in a passenger vehicle had worn seat
belts, 3,341 lives could have been saved. That's according to the latest Safety In Numbers snapshot from our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Every year during the Memorial Day Weekend
holiday period, law enforcement agencies join forces day and night, from
coast-to-coast, for an enforcement blitz that delivers on our message, Click It or Ticket. At the same time, safety organizations like NHTSA launch a wave of public service announcements all with the same goal--encouraging Americans to buckle up for safety.
Since the first seat belt campaign was launched in 1985, we’ve made great strides. In 2012, a record high of 86 percent of people in a passenger vehicle chose to fasten their seat belt. These folks recognize that it takes only three seconds to buckle up, and the benefits can last a lifetime.
Seat belt use at night, for example, lags behind daytime use. We know that the risk of being involved in a serious crash increases at night. Yet, the percentage of people buckling up at night is actually lower than during the day. In 2011, 62 percent of motorists who died in a
crash that occurred at night were unrestrained, compared to 43 percent of those
who died in a crash during the day.
At colleges and universities across America, a wave of commencements is underway. For thousands of students, crossing the threshold and becoming graduates is a moment when everything is possible.
And for the Class of 2013 at Gallaudet University, a world leader in educating deaf and hard of hearing students, this is particularly true. Because the 144th
graduating class at Gallaudet has already faced their share of adversity, and
they have responded with their share of boldness.
I was honored to speak at Gallaudet's commencement ceremony last Friday. As a member of the
Gallaudet Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2009, I welcomed the opportunity to
return to the Kendall Green campus and challenge the Class of 2013 to continue
being bold. It's a challenge I'm sure they will have no difficulty meeting head-on.
After all,
boldness is in their blood--it’s been there all along. When other kids treated
them differently. When the clerk at the grocery store was unable to answer a
simple question because they couldn’t sign. When people misunderstood their
abilities, and so dismissed their dreams.
Boldness helped
them overcome the many obstacles they’ve faced throughout their lives, and it
will continue to push them along and help them pursue their big dreams.
