The rulemaking will be published in the Federal Register on December 29 and the public will then have 60 days to comment.
The centerpiece of CSA is the Safety Measurement System (SMS), which will analyze all safety-based violations from inspections and crash data to determine a commercial motor carrier’s on-road performance. The new safety program will allow FMCSA to reach more carriers earlier and deploy a range of corrective interventions to address a carrier’s specific safety problems.
NHTSA study confirms that states that upgrade from a secondary to primary seat belt law show belt use gains of 10 to 12 percentage points. It also shows that states that increase the fine for a belt use violation from $25, the national median, to $60 show gains of 3 to 4 percentage points in belt use. Those that raise the penalty to $100 show 6 to 7 percent point gains.
A new study by researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) finds no reductions in crashes after laws take effect that ban texting by all drivers. See rebuttal by DOT Secretary Ray LaHood
DOT two new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that estimate that seat belts saved more than 72,000 lives during the five years between 2005 and 2009, while child restraint systems and minimum drinking age laws saved hundreds more during 2009.
Announces new anti-distracted driving regulations, employer policies, preliminary results from enforcement campaign.
The report said 5,474 people died in 4,898 crashes linked to distraction last year, down from 5,838 deaths in 5,307 crashes in 2008.
Highway deaths fell to 33,808 for the year, the lowest number since 1950
Motor vehicle accidents cost the nation almost $100 billion dollars a year, about $500 for each licensed driver, according to government data
A report released by the city’s transportation planners offers unusual insights into the precarious life on the city’s streets, pinpointing where, when and why pedestrian accidents have most often occurred. (includes link to report)
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and senior representatives from the United States and Russia appeared at the United Nations headquarters in New York today to launch a global effort to address the growing and deadly epidemic of distracted driving.
FMCSA launched its Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP), which allows commercial motor carrier companies to electronically access driver inspection and crash records as a part of the hiring process.
The proposed rule would make permanent an interim ban announced in January 2010 that applied existing safety rules to the specific issue of texting
The 2009 overall safety belt usage rate for drivers of all medium and heavy duty trucks and buses combined was 74%.
The projected fatality data for 2009 places the highway death count at 33,963, a drop of 8.9 percent as compared to the 37,261 deaths reported in 2008.
Allows commercial motor carrier companies to electronically access driver safety inspection and crash records as a part of the hiring process.
The board’s investigation has focused on pilot training, pilot fatigue and the ability of airlines to obtain full records on prospective pilots, among other issues.1/26/10 - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Federal Ban on Texting for Commercial Truck Drivers
The action is the result of the Department's interpretation of standing rules. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.
Cellphones make pedestrians inattentive, and emergency room records show the results
To the dismay of safety advocates already worried about driver distraction, automakers and high-tech companies have found a new place to put sophisticated Internet-connected computers: the front seat.
A consensus is emerging among lawmakers for an outright ban on cellphone texting behind the wheel
Highway work zone accidents across the country that have killed at least 4,700 people — more than two a day — and injured 200,000 in the last five years alone
The Federal Highway Administration released a comprehensive update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The manual sets the standards for road safety throughout the country.
Beyond reducing alcohol-related crashes in New York, Albany’s toughening of penalties for drunken driving should prompt other states to follow suit
The action plan addresses major safety issues such as driver fatigue and inattention, vehicle rollover, occupant ejections and oversight of unsafe carriers.
The Obama administration will push for legislation that would allow the federal government to set and enforce safety standards on the nation’s transit systems.
The goals of the Safety Council are to further enhance the safety focus throughout all agencies of the department and improve the impact of the department’s safety programs.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced 77 commercial bus and truck drivers are off the road and over 80 carriers face enforcement action as a result of FMCSA’s first national drug and alcohol strike force.
The DOT ODAPC has issued a notice in response to questions generated by the the Department of Justice (DOJ) guidelines for Federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of “medical marijuana.”
The risk of dying in a traffic accident has dropped nearly 18 percent since 2005, including a drop of 7 percent in the first half of this year.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that it will launch a new Driver Pre-Employment Screening Program which will allow commercial motor carrier companies to electronically access driver inspection and crash records as a part of the hiring process.
Last night, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles; when using electronic equipment supplied by the government while driving; or while driving privately owned vehicles when they’re on official government business. The order also encourages federal contractors and others doing business with the government to adopt and enforce their own policies banning texting while driving on the job.
For those who have turned their vehicles into wired offices, constant contact and work efficiency outweighs the risk of a wreck. View other articles in this series
Ninety percent of adults say sending a text message while driving should be illegal, and only 8 percent disagree.
The trucking industry says these devices can be used safely, posing less of a distraction than BlackBerrys, iPhones and similar gadgets, and therefore should be exempted from legislation that would ban texting while driving.
Over 200 safety experts, researchers, elected officials and members of the public will gather in Washington, D.C. to share their experiences, provide feedback and develop recommendations for reducing the growing safety risk that distracted driving is imposing on our nation’s roads.
Though the Welsh video has clearly struck a chord, some safety advocates maintain that blood and gore is not the best way to stop drivers from doing something that is legal in most states.
An organization of state highway safety officials on Monday plans to call for a ban on texting while driving, joining a growing chorus of legislators and safety advocates.
At an event today kicking off a nationwide anti-drunk driving enforcement campaign, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a new study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that shows an increasing trend among women driving under the influence of alcohol.
The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that it will hold its summit to determine the best ways to reduce the number of crashes and deaths due to distracted driving on Wednesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1.
In late September, senior transportation officials, elected officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives and academics will convene in Washington, DC to discuss ideas about how to combat distracted driving.
States that do not ban texting by drivers could forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in federal highway funds under legislation introduced Wednesday in the Senate.
The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds previous estimates based on laboratory research — and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions.
In 2003, researchers at a federal agency proposed a long-term study of 10,000 drivers to assess the safety risk posed by cellphone use behind the wheel.
Extensive research shows the dangers of distracted driving. But drivers increasingly talk and text, and state legislators have done almost nothing about it
In 1973, 7.5 percent of drivers had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In the latest survey, that figure had fallen to 2.2 percent. A BAC of .08 or higher is now above the legal limit in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Some governments are considering legislation to require electric vehicles to make some noise
A vast majority of the world’s countries — 85 percent — lack adequate laws to address the growing problem of traffic deaths and injuries, according to the World Health Organization’s first global report on road safety,A vast majority of the world’s countries — 85 percent — lack adequate laws to address the growing problem of traffic deaths and injuries, according to the World Health Organization’s first global report on road safety.
A U.S. Department of Transportation study released today estimates that 1,652 lives could be saved and 22,372 serious injuries avoided each year on America’s roadways if seat belt use rates rose to 90 percent in every state.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today ordered a full departmental review of motorcoach safety. A Departmental Motorcoach Safety Action Plan will be created from the review’s findings.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced tough, new roof standards that will significantly strengthen vehicle roof structures and improve rollover crash protection. “Rollovers are the deadliest crashes on our highways and today's rule will help occupants survive these horrific events,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Consumers who buy minicars to economize on fuel are making a big tradeoff when it comes to safety in collisions, according to an insurance group that slammed three minimodels into midsize ones in tests. See Report (PDF)
According to the first study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shifting into reverse may be more dangerous than previously thought.
The National Safety Council is calling for a ban on car phones, even hands-free ones.
New research shows that fatal car accidents involving older drivers have actually declined markedly in the past decade.
Researchers say they have come up with a way to stop teenagers from texting or talking on a cellphone while driving.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today said the number of people killed in traffic crashes is expected to reach a new record low in 2008, with early projections showing an almost 10 percent drop in highway traffic deaths in the first 10 months of this year.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today took new steps toward improving standards and setting uniform requirements for medical examiners, while also finalizing a streamlined process for combining the commercial drivers license (CDL) and medical certificate records for commercial truck and bus drivers operating on the nation’s roads.
The Department of Homeland Security announced security standards for freight and passenger rail systems. See http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/20081110_rail_rule.pdf for detail
The Federal Railroad Administration issued an emergency order banning most cellphone use by locomotive engineers, nine years after it began discussing the issue.
New rules proposed today will improve motorcycle safety by making it easier for riders to identify and use effective helmets, instead of unsafe “novelty helmets, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. The proposal will also make it harder for riders to use novelty helmets in states that require DOT-certified helmets, she said.
Americans are now using mobile phones to send or receive more text messages than phone calls, those messages are coming under increasing fire because of the danger they can pose by distracting users
More Americans are buckling up than ever before, with 83 percent of vehicle occupants using seatbelts during daylight hours, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today. In 2007, 82 percent used seat belts.
New national figures released today show a significant decline in the number of drunk driving-related fatalities occurring nationally and in 32 individual states, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters announced. However, the Secretary noted that the number of alcohol related fatalities among motorcyclists is climbing in half of the states.
The number of motorcyclist deaths jumped in 2007, accounting for nearly one in eight motor vehicle deaths, government safety officials said.
Councilman David I. Weprin will unveil a measure that would ban the sending or reading of text messages while driving within city limits.
Secretary Peters said that in 2007, the overall number of traffic fatalities fell to 41,059, the lowest number since 1994. In addition, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.37, the lowest fatality rate on record, she noted. Click to see reports
The federal government froze all approvals for new bus companies on Tuesday because a fatal crash in Texas last Friday exposed a flaw in regulations that allowed banned companies to re-open under new names.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today launched Fast Lane, the Department’s new blog. Accessible at http://fastlane.dot.gov, Fast Lane will be an on-line community for all those interested in the nation’s transportation system and its future.
Urging everyone to drive slowly and carefully through highway work zones as repair crews work along the nation’s highways, Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray joined state transportation officials today in kicking off the ninth annual “National Work Zone Awareness Week
The number of professional truckers buckling up their seat belts jumped dramatically in 2007 to a record level of 65 percent, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today during a national conference of state commercial vehicle law enforcement officers.
12/27/07 - Highway Signs to Get Brighter, Safer Under New Federal Requirements
In a continued effort to reduce roadway fatalities, Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka announced a new rule to make signs more visible
Individuals seeking new commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) would be required to complete both classroom and behind-the-wheel training from an accredited educational program or institution under a proposed rule announced today by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
New federal traffic safety data shows that the daily death toll from drunk driving crashes during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods is significantly more than for the rest of the year, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.
Truck drivers will continue to be limited to driving only 11 hours within a 14-hour duty period, after which they must go off duty for at least 10 hours under an Interim Final Rule (IFR) made public today by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today buckled up and rode with children in a school bus to Morrisville Elementary School near Raleigh, where she announced a new federal proposal to make school buses safer by requiring higher seat backs and setting new seat belt standards for the nation’s 474,000 school buses.
MSNBC report: Three-quarters of testing sites don’t provide secure conditions
GAO Report: Summary, Full Text
New on the Ooffice of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance website: “DOT’s 10 Steps to Collection Site Security and Integrity”
National Drug-Free Work Week 2007 will be held October 14-20, and employers and workers across the nation are encouraged to participate. The purpose of Drug-Free Work Week is to highlight the fact that being drug free is key to protecting workplace safety and health and to encourage workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help.
Drug-Free Work Week is sponsored by DOL and implemented collaboratively with members of its Drug-Free Workplace Alliance and several other organizations, including government agencies, non-profit associations and private companies.
To learn more about the Drug-Free Work Week and products (talking points, drop-in articles, print PSA's, posters -- now in Spanish) which can be used to observe it go to
http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/drugs/workingpartners/DFWW-Introduction.asp.
ODAPC launched a new page on its web site. The “Employer Page” is designed to be a “one-stop-shopping” resource page (e.g., links, documents, regulations etc.) for employers subject to DOT/USCG drug and alcohol testing regulations. The Employer Page can be found at http://www.dot.gov/ost/dapc
In response to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on motor carrier safety, Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, expressed his concern about its findings to a top Administration official toda
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today launched a national drunk driving enforcement crackdown and appealed to the judicial branch to use all the tools it has available to keep drunk driving offenders off the roads. She also released national and state statistics for alcohol related fatalities in 2006 and emphasized the costs of drunk driving in America.
The number of people who died on the nation’s roads fell last year, leading to the lowest highway fatality rate ever recorded and the largest drop in total deaths in 15 years, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.