ST. LOUIS, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, GMAC Insurance announced a strategic, long-term partnership with Road Safe America, a non-profit organization dedicated to making highways safer by reducing the number of collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles. In the exclusive relationship, GMAC Insurance will lend significant financial and operational support, yielding a strong, combined force working to affect positive change on the roadways and decrease the number of accidents. GMAC Insurance plans to extend its support on strategic initiatives throughout the coming years.

Road Safe America was co-founded by Steve and Susan Owings after they lost their 22-year-old son, Cullum, when his stopped car was hit from behind by a speeding tractor trailer truck on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2002. The Atlanta-based non-profit organization works to promote safe driving habits for passenger vehicle and truck drivers, with the goal of making the highways safer. Currently, it is working to achieve a national rule requiring operational speed governors in large trucks, limiting them to 68 miles an hour, with serious consequences for violators.

"We believe in Road Safe America's mission wholeheartedly," said Gary Kusumi, president and chief executive officer at GMAC Insurance. "This organization was born out of a heart-wrenching loss and is focusing its efforts to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Through this partnership, we're offering significant support to help Road Safe America educate drivers, change behaviors on the roadways and save lives."

While sharing the mission to make America's highways safer, the partnership also aligns with both organizations' strategic business objectives.

"It's similar to the old adage, 'two heads are better than one,'" said Road Safe America Co-founder Steve Owings. "We were searching for a partner to move our mission to the next level, and there are a lot of companies that could help us do that. But at the end of the day, we really wanted to team up with one that aligns with our core values. GMAC Insurance is the perfect fit."

"As a responsible insurance company, we're not just here to help people pick up the pieces after an accident - we need to help prevent them in the first place," said Kusumi. "And to do this, we need to educate drivers on roadway hazards and the simple yet critical steps they can take to avoid them. We started this with our annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test. Partnering with Road Safe America to turn knowledge into action is the next logical step."

To kick off the partnership, GMAC Insurance and Road Safe America will launch a national public safety campaign in observance of Drive Safer Sunday, which falls the Sunday after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the year.

For more information, visit www.gmacinsurance.com and www.roadsafeamerica.org.

The GMAC Insurance Group is one of the largest automobile insurers in the United States and is a wholly owned subsidiary of GMAC Financial Services. GMAC Insurance Personal Lines offers a variety of property and casualty products, including personal auto, RV, motorcycle, commercial auto and homeowners insurance. With a nationwide network of claims professionals, local independent agents and a 24-hour, toll-free claims hotline available 365 days a year, GMAC Insurance provides superior claims service for its customers.

Road Safe America is working to make our highways safer by reducing the number of collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles. Many trucks travel at dangerously high speeds, making it impossible for them to stop safely in an emergency. Road Safe America is working in conjunction with many of the major tracking companies toward a national rule that requires operational speed governors in trucks, limiting them to 68 miles an hour, with serious consequences for violators. Passenger vehicles are responsible for many tractor-trailer accidents, as well. Therefore, Road Safe America also works to educate the driving public on how to safely share the road with large trucks.

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Source: GMAC Insurance Group

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