Each year, tens of thousands of people are injured or killed in transportation accidents and crashes. The goal of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal agency, is to reduce this number by determining the probable cause of transportation related accidents and promoting transportation safety. Earlier this week the Board released its Most Wanted List – a tool intended to identify top safety improvements that can be made to prevent accidents and minimize injuries.
This year, a majority of improvements on the list related directly to truck drivers and the trucking industry. Here are the topics the Board wants to tackle this year and why:
- Eliminate Distracted Driving: Distractions prevent individuals from staying focused on safely operating their vehicle. This increases risks for pedestrians and other motorists.
- Implement a Strategy to Reduce Speeding-Related Crashes: Speeding-related crashes are costly, killing more than 10,000 people and resulting in $52 billion in damages annually. Speed not only increases the likelihood of a crash but intensifies the severity of injuries.
- End Alcohol and Other Drug Impairment in Transportation: Impairment in transportation is not limited to just alcohol, though it is a leading cause of highway crashes. Impairment by other drugs, both legal and illicit, is becoming a national problem.
- Increase Implementation of Collision Avoidance Systems in all New Highway Vehicles: Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury and death in the United States. Many of these injuries and deaths could be prevented with collision avoidance systems – this technology is already available but is not yet standard.
- Reduce Fatigue Related Accidents: Fatigue prevents people from staying alert, meaning they will be less likely to meet the demands of safely operating their vehicle. Education will help operators learn about sleep disorder treatment and ways to stay compliant on regulations intended to help combat fatigue.
- Require Medical Fitness:Medical issues such as Sleep Apnea can be deadly if undiagnosed. Mandatory screening and treatment will help prevent accidents.
At Centerline, your safety is our number one priority. Stay up-to-date on rules and regulations and safety information by reading our blog regularly. You can review the NTSB’s Most Wanted List here for more information on the specifics of their plan.
