Commercial truck accidents are continuing to be problematic. Technological advances in mobile devices have increased distracted driving behaviors like texting behind the wheel. Additionally, the poor economic climate has caused some companies or drivers to override hours of service mandates or critical regulations all in name of profits.
The end of last year, the National Transportation Safety Board-the U.S. federal agency known as the NTSB in charge of investigating transportation accidents-released a "most wanted list" consisting of 20 critical areas where transportation safety improvements were needed. On this list included the need to implement important safety technologies like stability control or departure and collision warning systems. The American Trucking Association-the largest U.S. association that represents the trucking trade-was on board with the NTSB's proposals and expressed understanding of the need to improve truck safety. ATA CEO Bill Graves stated that, "The NTSB Most Wanted List identifies a number of areas where the Board and ATA have a shared interest in improving highway safety."
Areas where progress is being made
As a result of the initiative, the ATA has made progress. The association recently released a report that details developments in certain areas listed on the NHTSA's most wanted list. In the report, the ATA stressed that they were making headway in two important areas: the establishment of a nationwide registry that provides a list of certified medical examiners and a procedure that examines possible truck driver candidates.Areas where improvement still needed
However, there is still plenty of work to be done in other areas on the list. The areas where improvement is needed include the enactment of:- Seat belt laws that are primary rather than secondary
- Aggressive driving programs
- Uniform crashworthiness principles for commercial vehicles
- A central collection of driver drug and alcohol test results