The agency’s updated list of safety improvement goals comes as federal statistics show an increase in U.S. traffic fatalities.
Crash risks increase for drivers who get less than seven hours of sleep, according to a report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Occupant protection, distraction and fatigue are other key issues addressed in the National Transportation Safety Board’s list for 2016.
In the session “Understanding Medical DOT and Fit for Duty Requirements,” NAPT attendees were brought up to speed on new criteria for medical examiners, driver training and drug and alcohol testing, as well as changes in how some cases of diabetes and sleep apnea are handled.
After experiencing the decline in fitness that often accompanies truck driving, Siphiwe Baleka set out to develop a realistic routine for truckers to get in shape. Now, he brings his health message to the school bus world.
Lakeisha Graham-Martin, who works for Darlington County (S.C.) School District, is facing a charge for running a stop sign during the accident, and the district has placed her on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the crash. Thirty-two students were on board at the time, and a couple of them had minor injuries.
The intersection in Chesterfield, N.J., where one student was killed and 17 others were injured when a dump truck struck their school bus in 2012, was previously controlled by a two-way stop sign. There were 15 accidents at the intersection between 2007 and 2011, but investigators determined that, based on the bus’s position, the layout of the intersection did not contribute to the 2012 accident.
The House unanimously passes the bipartisan bill that aims to prevent the FMCSA from issuing guidance on sleep apnea testing for commercial drivers without a formal rulemaking. The state directors association joins NSTA and other groups in advocating for the legislation, which the Senate will now consider.
NASDPTS says that the federal agency's investigation of the Chesterfield, N.J., school bus crash pointed out a number of student transportation concerns, including driver fatigue and medications. Also, NASDPTS says that the findings reinforce the association's support of lap-shoulder belts for school buses, as long as funding is made available for them.
While the “spring forward” clock change creates a national sleep debt and leads to a spike in auto crashes, driver fatigue is a “life-threatening concern” at all times of the year, Mark Rosekind writes in a National Transportation Safety Board blog post.
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