Transportation Safety


Campaign Urges Drivers to Prepare for Winter Weather

To promote winter driving safety, INDOT is joining several other Snow Belt states with the winter safety campaign, Ice and Snow.Take it Slow. The multi-state campaign reminds motorists that slow and cautious driving is the key to staying safe on the roads during winter weather.

FAA Revising Flight Rules for EMS Helicopter Pilots

The agency asked for comments from the industry by Dec. 15.

DOT Starts Automatic Vehicle Safety Recall Notification Service

Consumers can sign up now for free alerts from NHTSA on their computers, cell phones, and PDAs.

VPPPA Seeks 2009 Conference Workshop Proposals by Dec. 5

The association's 25th annual conference will take place in August at the same San Antonio convention center where ASSE's PDC will be held June 28-July 1, 2009.

jetliner fire

Model Optimizes Aircraft Cargo Compartment Fire Systems

The simulation tool can identify worst-case locations for fires, optimal locations for detectors, and sensor alarm levels when fire systems are certified. The systems must alarm within one minute of the start of a fire.

Image of a medical helicopter.

NTSB to Hold Three-Day Public Hearing on Helicopter EMS Operations

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public hearing on the safety of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services operations. The three-day hearing will begin on February 3, 2009.

DuPont Hails Safety of Chilean Mining

In other international news, France reported fatal accidents rose by 16 percent in 2007, and 3M bought a small food safety company in Norway.



ISO Secretary-General Robert Steele

ISO's Road Safety Standard Moving Forward

Also, the International Organization for Standardization, which is the world's largest developer of consensus standards, will have a new secretary-general beginning Jan. 1: New Zealand accountant Robert Steele, shown here.

NTSB Acting Chairman Addresses Underage Drinking and Driving Issues

National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker recently discussed the issue of underage drinking emphasizing the need to maintain the Age 21 law before the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) National Symposium on Underage Drinking, in Washington, DC, Rosenker noted that each year, there are more than 40,000 highway fatalities, more than any other mode of transportation.

IIHS Report Rebuts Study that Questioned Red Light Cameras

A six-page response posted Nov. 6 by the safety organization says the study commissioned by the Virginia Transportation Research Council did not validly assess whether camera enforcement reduced intersection crashes or not.

OSHA Finds Merit to Amtrak Whistleblower's Allegations

"This case sends a clear message that OSHA will not tolerate retaliation against whistleblowers," said Richard S. Terrill, OSHA's regional administrator in Seattle.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff

FEMA Readying $3 Billion in FY2009 Preparedness Grants

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, shown here, says the grants program has matured, moving "from capability building to performance-based planning and investment."

TSA Reaches Agreement with European Union on Cargo Screening

"By synchronizing the way that air cargo is secured on both sides of the Atlantic, we're taking another potential vulnerability off the table for terrorists," said DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff.

18-wheeler

Trucking's Highway Safety Agenda Awaits Next Congress

The American Trucking Associations listed 18 actions, adopted recently by its board, that ATA considers critical to reduce highway crashes among all motorists. A national 65 mph speed limit is one of them.

Fatal Vehicle-Animal Collisions Up 50 Percent Since 2000

The main finding is that insurance claims for animal collisions are nearly three times higher during November than the typical month earlier in the year.

NIOSH to Host 'International Conference on Road Safety at Work'

NIOSH and partners will hold the International Conference on Road Safety at Work on Feb. 16-18, 2009, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. Conference co-sponsors include the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, International Labour Organization, U.S. Department of State, and the National Safety Council.

Cell Phone Restrictions on NTSB's Most-wanted List of Safety Improvements

The National Transportation Safety Board issued its 2009 Federal Most Wanted List of safety improvements.

Calif. AG Sues Three Trucking Companies

The three lawsuits follow two similar lawsuits filed in September and are part of the attorney general's ongoing crackdown on trucking companies operating at California’s ports that deliberately misclassify workers to gain an unfair competitive advantage.

teen driver and passenger

Study Stands Up for Teen Passengers Who Speak Up

However, the Liberty Mutual/SADD study of 3,580 students at 29 high schools across the country found only 57 percent of teen passengers would speak up to stop the driver from racing other cars.

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