FMCSA emphasizes road safety during holiday season

November 10, 2022

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For the fourth consecutive year, FMCSA will be sponsoring the Capitol Christmas Tree’s journey from Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, to the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building.

The “Our Roads, Our Safety” program is a national safety campaign developed by FMCSA as a reminder that road safety is everyone’s responsibility.

“Over the last several years, FMCSA has teamed up with Choose Outdoors and other organizations to safely deliver the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree to Washington, D.C., and raise awareness about preventing crashes involving large trucks and buses, which have bigger blind spots, longer stopping distances, and make wider turns,” Robin Hutcheson, FMCSA administrator, said in a statement. “It’s important to always make a plan to share the roads safely with large trucks and buses, especially during the winter holiday season.”

Driving the Kenworth T680 Next Gen hauling the 78-foot red spruce are Ed and Deborah Kingdon, a husband-and-wife team from Hardy Bros. Trucking in Siloam, N.C.

The Capitol Christmas tree public tour began this month in North Carolina. Public events are scheduled through Nov. 14 before the tree is delivered on Nov. 18 to the U.S. Capitol Building.

According to an FMCSA news release, the agency will be conducting public outreach to promote safe driving around trucks and buses with a booth and educational materials at each stop.

On Nov. 30, the official lighting ceremony is scheduled in Washington, D.C.

More information about the Capitol Christmas tree is available at USCapitolChristmasTree.com.

Remaining 2022 Capitol Christmas tree public events: