In my last blog, I discussed the possibility of serial killers who are using the nation�s highways as traveling crime scenes. Unfortunately, a lack of safe, legal parking areas is increasing the danger for long-haul drivers who may struggle to find a place to sleep.

On March 5, 2009, Jason Rivenburg, a long-haul truck driver from New York, was delivering a load of milk to a supermarket in South Carolina � which, like many states, has laws that prevent drivers from parking their rigs for extended periods. Without legal stopping options or available rest areas at his disposal, the young father, whose wife was pregnant with twins, struggled to find a place to rest overnight. So, he stopped at the only place he could find available to him: an abandoned gas station in St. Matthews, S.C.

Unfortunately, that stop was Rivenburg�s last. An armed robbery resulted in him being shot twice in the head and the perpetrators walking away with only $7. It took two days for passing motorists to find his body.

This horrific story highlights the other side of danger along America�s highways.

While the FBI focuses on long-haul driver murder suspects with their Highway Serial Killers initiative, legislation addressing the need for safe truck parking has been stalled in Congress� Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for months.

Known as Jason�s Law, in honor of Rivenburg, the bill would provide funding to ensure drivers have a place to rest when they need it, so they won�t be forced to choose between stopping at abandoned, out-of-the-way spots or disobeying Hours of Service regulations.

Additionally, while truckers are left with inadequate legal options for taking a break while on the road, budget constraints are causing many states to close their rest areas. Arizona, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin have all closed rest areas in the past year. Louisiana closed 23 of its 34 rest areas in 2008 alone.

And now New York � the state where Rivenburg lived and Jason�s Law originated � has announced it will be closing six of its rest areas starting November 1.

So, what�s a long-haul driver supposed to do? How can you safely rest if there is nowhere to stop? How can you comply with Hours of Service requirements if the communities where you travel forbid you to park for extended periods?

For now, the answers are:

1) Plan ahead and make sure you know where there are open rest areas or truck stops with large parking capacities,

2) Call your Congressman and tell them you support Jason�s Law, and

3) Check back with our blog next week, when we talk about why states like Delaware are expanding their rest areas when most of the country is cutting back.

You might be surprised to learn how a 1956 law � and fast food lobbyists � are impacting professional drivers� safety.