James Comer U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district | Official U.S. House Headshot
James Comer U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Congressman James Comer recently congratulated Michelle Grubbs of Ballard County for being named the Truck Safety Coalition’s Volunteer of the Year. In November 2023, Grubbs contacted Comer’s office to advocate for road safety reforms following a tragic accident that claimed the lives of her son and other family members. Her advocacy inspired Congressman Comer to support bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing road safety in Kentucky and nationwide.
Comer also received the “Truck Safety Champion” award and delivered remarks for the Truck Safety Coalition event honoring Grubbs. He highlighted the Coalition's efforts to reduce road deaths and injuries and provide support to accident survivors and victims' families.
"Addressing road safety became a priority of mine after Michelle Grubbs, a constituent of Kentucky’s First Congressional District from Ballard County, shared her story with me," said Comer.
Grubbs had written: "I lost my 26-year-old son, his fiancé, her mother and Mother’s boyfriend along with a 14-year-old cousin of the fiancé in a preventable truck crash. Since 2009, large truck fatality crashes have increased by 71% in Kentucky. We can do better."
Comer agreed with Grubbs' message and was moved by her determination to make legislative changes. Following their meeting, Comer's office began discussing bipartisan solutions to enhance road safety.
As Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Comer noted issues within the U.S. Postal Service involving contractors not adhering to highway safety regulations. These lapses resulted in numerous fatal accidents over three years without Congressional notification.
In response, Comer cosponsored the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act with Representative Connolly. The bill mandates that the Postal Service report any traffic crashes resulting in injury or death to Congress and compile an annual public report on such incidents.
"This legislation was a commonsense bill that increases transparency into the Postal Service’s safety record and prioritizes the safety of Americans across the nation," said Comer.
While this legislation has passed in the House, Comer emphasized that more work remains as he collaborates with Senate colleagues to finalize it.
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