Eyes on the Road, Hands on the Wheel

By Debbie Hersman

There’s a great article by health writer Jane E. Brody in the April 12 issue of The New York Times about medical doctors spreading the word about the dangers of distracted driving. Brody quotes Dr. Amy N. Ship of Harvard Medical School who says, “Driving while distracted is roughly equivalent to driving drunk.”

Last year, nearly 33,000 people died in traffic accidents. As Dr. Ship explained, “Any activity that distracts a driver visually or cognitively increases the risk of an accident.”

Distracted driving has long been a priority issue for the NTSB. This is an especially crucial issue for young drivers: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. In 2003, we placed a recommendation on our Most Wanted List asking states to restrict the use of wireless devices by novice drivers.

NTSB poster highlights agency policy on distracted driving

Knowing the most effective teacher is modeling the behavior you want to see, on the day I was sworn in as NTSB Chairman I implemented an agency policy to curb the use of electronic devices while driving. The policy prohibits employees driving on NTSB business from using any wireless device, including hands-free devices, and further prohibits using NTSB-issued electronic devices while driving their own cars.

The rules apply to me. I no longer use my Blackberry during my hour-long commute. The risk of catastrophic consequences is just too great. As Brody cited in the article, “The National Safety Council estimates that at least 1.6 million crashes — 28 percent of the total — are caused each year by drivers using cellphones or texting.”

Pull over if you need to make or take a call. As Flannery O’Connor wrote, “The life you save may be your own.”

Fatigue is a Serious Safety Issue

By Mark Rosekind, Ph.D.

Fatigue was cited as a Probable Cause to this accident in Miami, OK

Fatigue has been on the NTSB Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements since the List was first created in 1990. The NTSB has identified fatigue as the probable cause or a contributing factor of accidents in every mode of transportation. Based on its accident investigations, the NTSB has made more than 190 fatigue-related safety recommendations. One recent accident illustrates how fatigue can lead to tragedy.

On June 26, 2009, in Miami, Oklahoma, a commercial truck driver going 69 mph with his cruise control on ran into a line of vehicles that had stopped due to another accident. Before the truck finally stopped, it hit 6 vehicles, took 10 lives, and injured 5 more.

You don’t have to fly for a living to be a professional

By Earl Weener

NTSB Board Member Earl Weener

Domestic airline operators have racked up a remarkable safety record  in the past two years.  Large commercial transport aircraft experienced not a single fatal accident during this period – a welcome trend for commercial operations.  I wish I could say the same for general aviation (GA).  Sadly, in the recent ten day period from March 25^th through April 3^rd, ten fatal accidents occured involving GA light airplanes, ranging from a Cessna 150 to a Beechcraft Baron.  That’s a rate of an accident per day, and just reflects the fatal accidents.  Generally, there are five to six times as many accidents that do not involve fatalities but result in substantial damage or injuries, or both.

A soon-to-be-released NTSB statistical study of aircraft accidents from 2007 through 2009 will show the accident rate for Part 91 flying as essentially flat from 2000 through 2009.  There were approximately 6 accidents per 100,000 flight hours, with about 1 in 6 of those accidents involving fatalities.  This statistic includes both corporate and on-demand air taxi operations, which have accident rates approaching those of the commercial airlines.  These operators, like the commercial operators, are to be congratulated on their safety record.  However, as I pointed out, this is not the case for all Part 91 operations.

Getting a Glimpse of Life on the Road

By Debbie Hersman



Chairman Hersman (second from left, first standing row) at the Salute to Women Behind the Wheel (photo by Paul Hartley, Add Media)

Last week, I had the opportunity to get a glimpse into what life is like for the professional truck drivers who drive the heavy trucks on our nation’s highways to deliver the goods — and who contribute to our economy and to our quality of life.

I learned a lot from my five teachers — Stephanie Klang, Jill Garcia, Clarence Jenkins, Angela Jordan, and Jo Carty — who safely drove me from Washington, DC, to Louisville, KY, so I could attend the Mid America Trucking Show and attend Women in Trucking’s (WIT) Salute to Women Behind the Wheel. As I told the professional women drivers at that event, I have a CDL (commercial driver’s license), but I think my biggest contribution to safety is not to drive a commercial vehicle. I leave that up to the professional drivers.

I was impressed by every driver’s commitment to safety and by their ability to handle big rigs in good weather and bad . We had all types of weather on our 632 miles, including snow, sleet, and fog! After last week’s trip, I feel safer driving on the road next to big rigs. I was also pleased with the discussions we had about the issues that the NTSB addresses in its investigations and recommendations, such as hours of service, fatigue, and government oversight.

For example, when I talked with Stephanie about the challenges of complying with hours of service, she said the rules are there to protect you. Even when they’re not in your favor, you have to respect them.

As for respect, I gained a lot more respect for these professional drivers behind the wheel and I want them to know that I will keep an eye out for them whenever I’m out on the interstate.

Here’s a link to the talk I gave at Women in Trucking’s Salute to Women Behind the Wheel on April 2.

Hitting the Road with Professional Women Drivers

By Debbie Hersman

Chairman Hersman (left) with Stephanie Klang

Late on Wednesday, I hit the road on a two-day, four-state journey from Washington, D.C. My final destination is Louisville, Kentucky, and the 2011 Mid-America Trucking Show, the world’s largest forum for the heavy trucking industry. On Saturday, I’ll have the honor of speaking with about 1,200 of America’s professional women truck drivers at the second annual Women in Trucking (WIT) “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel.” More on that in a moment.

But for now, let me tell you a bit about my journey to get there. I’ve covered some 460 of my 632 mile road trip so far. You might be asking yourself, “Why not just fly to Louisville?” Well, quite simply, it is hard to know what it is really like to be on the road from a federal office building in Washington. When Ellen Voie of WIT offered me the opportunity to “ride” to Kentucky, I jumped at the chance.

There is no better way to get a feel for the issues facing the industry than spend time in the cab with professional truck drivers. Besides, is there any better way to travel to the nation’s largest trucking show than to experience the ride, technology and accommodations in 5 different heavy trucks?

I’ve learned a lot since leaving NTSB headquarters last evening. I have listened to the drivers and they each have a different perspective and have impressed me with their knowledge and professionalism.

Let me start by telling you about my first leg of the trip. I spent the first 150 miles with Stephanie Klang, a driver from Con-Way. As we made our way out of the dark and grey city, passing monuments and cherry blossoms, Stephanie remained focused on one thing — safety. In fact, that’s the common thread that I am seeing on this trip. So far it’s been five different and diverse drivers from all over the country — all with one thing in mind — getting to their destination safely, delivering their load, doing it again and again to support their families. Stephanie carefully maneuvered through Washington’s rush-hour hour traffic and calmly faced rain, snow, and, worse yet, sleet in the dark. The entire time, her eyes were on the road. Did I mention that Stephanie has 2.74 million safe miles in her logbook?

When I speak at WIT’s “Salute to Women” event on Saturday, I’ll be saluting Stephanie Klang, Jill Garcia, Angela Jordan, Jo Carty and hundreds of other women who drive safely, every day, on our nation’s highways — delivering the goods to the rest of us.

Got to go and get back on the road again, but I will share more of my experiences soon.

Over and out (for now).