NTSB hears testimony on the future of transportation safety
This week, the National Transportation Safety Board invited experts in transportation safety, government policymakers and industry representatives to brief its members on the state of transportation safety. The two-day hearing opened on Tuesday, May 10. Regulators fear the recent improvements in road safety were merely a side-effect of a weak economy, and with recovery under way, those numbers are primed to shoot back up into dangerous territory. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the number of fatalities along America’s roadways declined in 2010 for the fifth-straight year. The total number of highway deaths last year was 32,788, down 3 percent over 2009. President Barack Obama has called for regulations that would monitor the number of hours driven by long-haul truckers, reducing fatigue. He also wants to increase the duration of mandatory rest periods. Meanwhile, advocates in the trucking industry want to increase the maximum weight load on nation roadways and increase the length of semis. While the open exchange of information is a necessary step in the process, the hearings also stress the fact that real progress will require compromise on the part of business leaders and industry regulators.
