Happy Holidays!

As 2009 draws to a close, all of us here at MSC would like to thank each and every one of you for your business, support, and encouragement. We wish everyone a very happy holiday season and look forward to working with you to make 2010 an even better (and safer) year!

Pelham Mourns the Loss of a Hero

On 03 Dec 2009, Pelham Police Officer Phillip Davis was murdered in the line of duty. According to the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial, Officer Davis is one of 45 officers to have been killed by gunfire this year in the US (an 18% increase over 2008) and one of 116 officers killed in the line of duty this year in the US.

We mention Officer Davis' sacrifice specifically for two reasons:

• Because MSC is located in Pelham, Alabama, and it's no accident why that is so. The Pelham, AL Police Department is one of the best trained, best educated, and person-for-person best overall police agencies in the United States. The staff at MSC travels across the US and Canada and interacts with many great Law Enforcement Officers. We're always glad to come home to Pelham, and glad to know that it's the Pelham PD who's watching our homes and families while we're gone. Officer Davis was a part of that, and we are grateful to him (and his fellow officers) for their fine work.
• Because Officer Davis was murdered on a traffic stop. Vehicle collisions (a.k.a. "traffic accidents") kill 37,000 people each year in the United States. As a society, we try to combat that staggering number with engineering, education, and enforcement. That is what Officer Davis was doing when he was murdered: enforcing the traffic laws that are designed to keep the rest of us from getting killed.

Officer Davis leaves behind a wife and two young children (he was 33 years old). Those of us who are grateful for his service, and have been blessed with more than we need, can make a donation to his family at any America's First Credit Union. The account name is Officer Phillip Davis.

News release from the City of Pelham about the fund for Officer Davis' family

Officer Davis was murdered in the act of keeping the rest of us safe. The fact that he volunteered for this responsibility doesn't make the benefit of his service any less real. While nothing we can do retroactively will bring him (or his fallen comrades) back, we can take an extra minute this holiday season to show our gratitude to the police officers, deputy sheriffs, and state troopers who work to ensure our safety--on the roadways, at the store, and in our homes.

Concerns of Police Survivors: (COPS)

The National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund

FMCSA to Revise the HOS Rule

In response to challenges to the Hours of Service (HOS) rule, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has agreed to propose a revised HOS rule within the next nine months and publish a new final rule within the next 21 months. Advocacy groups want the revisions to address safety and health issues such as driver fatigue. Read more about the HOS regulation and rules that are currently in place. The HOS rule will remain in effect during the FMCSA's revision and rulemaking process.

NAPARS 25th Anniversary Conference

This week, the National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists (NAPARS) held its annual Joint Conference in Ocean City, Maryland. 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of NAPARS, and this year's conference topics focused on heavy trucks and commercial vehicles. Speakers included Ron Baade, Dr. Bruno Schmidt, Wade Bartlett, Chuck Veppert, David Brown, and Bill Messerschmidt. The conference was attended by over 175 crash investigators and engineers, representing 26 US States and 3 Canadian Provinces.

Bill gave the closing presentation of the conference, discussing the current state and future direction of Heavy Vehicle EDR research.

The NAPARS Conference also provided MSC with an excellent venue to make two big announcements: On Friday, 9 October 2009, Messerschmidt Safety Consulting and the Crash Data Group released EDR Analytics, a software program developed by MSC to assist crash investigators with HVEDR data analysis. Other products marketed by the Crash Data Group include the Bosch CDR Tool System and Greg Russell's CSV Pro software, used for passenger car EDR analysis.

The conference also provided Bill Messerschmidt and Ron Baade an opportunity to announce the first ever general classroom training in Heavy Vehicle EDR data retrieval and analysis. Bill and Ron will teach the 40 hour class though the University of Tulsa's Continuing Engineering and Science Education program. The first class will be taught on 22 February 2010 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We'll post more information about the details, including links to register online, in the very near future.

PA State Police Collision Reconstruction Seminar

The 9^th annual PA State Police Collision Reconstruction Seminar was held at the Ramada Inn , State College, PA, Sept 29 - Oct 1, 2009 with over 200 Police Accident Reconstructionists from the US and Canada in attendance. This is a yearly, grant-funded conference for law enforcement officers to network with others and to explore new ideas and technology in collision reconstruction. Bill attended this conference as a police officer in 2003 and this year he was honored to be a speaker, giving a 2.5 hr presentation on Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders, “Using HVEDR Data in Accident Reconstruction.”

CVSA Brake Safety Week

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is conducting Brake Safety Week between the dates of September 13-19, 2009. The goal of the week-long event, which is taking place across North America, is to help improve commercial vehicle brake safety by emphasizing proper brake inspection, maintenance, and operation. The CVSA is carrying out this important safety event at truck stops, weigh stations, and other locations by way of enforcement, educational activities, and through distributing helpful information.

Learn more about the CVSA's Brake Safety Week.

MSC Research Hits the Presses

Over the last 7 months, MSC has been part of several research-intensive projects related to Heavy Vehicle ECM/EDR technology. We've traveled to Hattiesburg, MS, Charlotte, NC, and Wisconsin's Fox Valley for these tests. We've put quite a bit of time and money into these tests and we're happy to see the resulting publications start to roll off the presses.

Last month, the ECM Field Guide was published in the Accident Reconstruction Journal. The Field Guide was authored by Tim Austin (Wisconsin State Patrol) and co-authored by Bill Messerschmidt. It is meant to serve as a guidebook for accident investigators so that critical, crash-related evidence is preserved. Download a copy of the ECM Field Guide.

In October, Collision Magazine will publish Testing the Last Stop Record in the Mercedes MBE 4000 Engine. This article is authored by Benjamin Smith (ASI Investigations) and co-authored by Bill Messerschmidt and Ron DeMonia.

During September, we'll submit the first draft of our next research paper to SAE International, authored by Bill Messerschmidt and co-authored by Tim Cheek, Tim Austin, and Benjamin Smith. Then, on 29 September Bill will speak at the Pennsylvania State Police Reconstruction Seminar, where we expect to make two big announcements to the crash investigation community.

MSC Returns to Fox Valley for HVEDR Testing

Over Labor Day weekend, we returned to Appleton, Wisconsin, for another day of HVEDR/ECM testing at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC). This was the fourth day of testing in a series of tests that we began in March. The testing has included controlled, instrumented tests of Detroit Diesel, Mercedes, Caterpillar, Cummins, and Mack trucks with EDR capabilities.

Thanks to the professional skill of Rob Behnke, Truck Driving Program Director for FVTC, and members of the Wisconsin State Patrol, we were able to complete over 50 fully-instrumented test runs, putting the total number of tests over 150 for 2009.

Over the fall and winter of 2009/2010, we’ll be preparing the data from these tests (along with a few more planned test runs) for publication in a variety of journals and industry publications. In addition, MSC is expecting to announce some big news on two fronts later this fall. We’ll announce the news through special editions of the MSC Newsletter and also on this blog as soon as the ink is dry!

Heavy Truck ECM Testing

Last week we began field testing for our latest ECM-related research project. Over the last decade, researchers and engineers have conducted a great deal of testing to validate data from the Event Data Recorders (EDRs) in heavy vehicles. Our goal is to build on this body of knowledge and learn more about how these devices capture data under the extreme circumstances that are often present in a crash. Scientifically, what we are trying to do is perform research that is "ecologically valid." In other words, research that very closely mimics what happens to the ECM in the environment we're interested in: the crash itself.

Since we can't simply go out and crash a lot of trucks (we've conducted over 80 controlled tests so far--going back to our initial testing in Hattiesburg, MS, in March), it has taken some creativity and skill! For this, we're indebted to the fine engineers and forensic scientists who are working on the project with MSC.

With the contributions of Tim Cheek (Delta[v] Forensic Engineers), Tim Austin (Wisconsin State Patrol) and Ben Smith (ASI Investigations), and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, we were able to test Mack and Cummins ECMs last week. Our testing will continue in September in Wisconsin, where our goal is to finish the testing.

Results from CVSA's Roadcheck 2009

On June 2-4, 2009, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) conducted Roadcheck 2009. According to the CVSA, the yearly Roadcheck program "is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world, with approximately 14 trucks or buses being inspected, on average, every minute..." Click here to read CVSA's description of the Roadcheck program.

According to the National Safety Council, this year's program inspected 72,782 trucks in three days! CVSA reports that 57,013 of these inspections were NAS Level 1 Inspections. (Level 1 inspections are the most thorough or detailed of the North American Standard Inspections).

The results of these inspections are something that the trucking industry can really be proud of:

• 95.7% of drivers were in compliance with regulations (the highest score ever).
• 77.8% of vehicles were in compliance with the regulations (a 20.4% increase from 2008).
• The number of NAS Level 1 Inspections that were conducted increased by 8.9%

You can read the CVSA's press release on Roadcheck 2009 here.

In the June 2009 MSC Newsletter, we asked readers why they felt trucking fatalities had reached their lowest levels in history. The majority (62%) felt that the reduction was mostly due to fewer miles driven in a slow economy. Maybe we were wrong?

Regardless, CONGRATULATIONS are due to the North American trucking industry, and THANKS to the men and women in Law Enforcement who made the Roadcheck happen!

Rec-Tec Stays on the Cutting Edge

Less than one week after NHTSA announced a new Final Rule that will likely increase the number of air disc brake systems on US highways, Rec-Tec Professional Accident Reconstruction software released an upgrade that allows for fairly simple analysis of truck stopping distance with air disc brakes.

But don't be fooled by the promptness with which Mr. Bonnett has released his latest improvement: the new "Disc/S-Cam III Air Brake" module was being researched and designed for over a year. Both government and private sector engineers & investigators (including MSC) had their opportunity to evaluate it or contribute to it, and on 01 August 09, Rec-Tec released the product.

Even more impressive is the fact that this new module has the capability to analyze heavy truck ABS systems. It allows the user to input the locations of ABS sensors and tell it which axles are linked by which sensors. By selecting the "Automatic ABS Computations" button, the program will vary air pressure as it determines a wheel (or series of connected wheels) is reaching lock-up.

At this point, Rec-Tec is no longer simply a "plug and chug" calculator with some built-in formulas. It's an increasingly robust simulation program, especially in the Heavy Truck Module series.

NHTSA Announces New Final Rule on Truck Stopping Distance

This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published their new Final Rule on air-braked truck stopping distance. The new rule was published in the 27 July Federal Register. (Download a pdf by clicking here).

The rule is a 38-page amendment to 49 CFR 571. Here are some of the highlights:

• Generally speaking, the stopping distance requirements are 30% more stringent in the new Final Rule than in the current version of 571.
• Truck tractors, when loaded to their Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), must be able to stop in 250 feet from a speed of 60mph.
• Truck tractors, when loaded to their Lightly Loaded Vehicle Weight (LLVW), must be able to stop in 235 feet from a speed of 60mph.
• Three-axle trucks with a GVWR under 59,600 lbs will have to meet the standard by 01 August 2011.
• Two-axle trucks with a GVWR over 59,600 lbs will have to meet the standard by 01 August 2013.

These stopping distances work out to an acceleration rate of -15.456ft/s^2 to -16.422ft/s^2 (in other words, a drag factor between 0.48g and 0.51g). Although it's not uncommon for a well-maintained tractor trailer to achieve drag factors in this range today, increasing the minimum requirements will almost definitely encourage implementation of air disc brakes, like the system pictured above. Other solutions, including hybrid drum/disc systems, more aggressive brake pads, or larger brake drums may also be used.

NHTSA expects the new Final Rule to save 227 lives per year, as well as to prevent 300 serious injuries and over $169 million in property damage each year. If their estimates are even close to correct, the new Final Rule will be a great one.

The Life-Saving Potential of Technology

A few weeks ago, we were introduced to a new product that is getting some very well deserved media attention. The product is called Zoomsafer, and it's a mobile phone application that works to prevent (or at least discourage) texting and e-mailing while driving. The application installs on your mobile phone, where it detects motion. At this point, it automatically enables a message that will let your callers know that you are driving and temporarily prevents you from texting or e-mailing. The application can even update a user's Facebook and Twitter status.

Why is that important? Consider this: According to a 2006 study by NHTSA and Virgina Tech Transporation Institute: in 80% of crashes and in 65% of near crashes, the driver was distracted within three seconds of the incident. The leading cause of that distraction? Cell phones.

Links to that study and other NHTSA-funded research on driver distraction and fatigue are available here.

And if you're still not convinced that cell phone use (even hands-free) is dangerous, take a look at this article from the New York Times.

Given the size and scope of this problem, which certainly doesn't seem to have gotten better since 2006, Zoomsafer is very exciting piece of technology.

A product demo is available here, and you can see Zoomsafer's CEO Michael Riemer on Fox Business News here.

This is exciting stuff, and at MSC we're excitedly awaiting the release for Windows Mobile.

Law Enforcement and Occupational Safety

The July 2009 Research Bulletin, published by the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) has some disturbing and sad news. After reaching a 20-year low, line-of-duty deaths for police officers increased 20% for the first half of 2009. Between January 1 - June 30, 2009, 66 law enforcement officers were killed while serving the public.

The NLEOMF report highlights the fact that for the 12th year in a row, traffic crashes were the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths. So far this year, traffic crashes have claimed the lives of 35 officers, while shootings claimed the lives of 22 officers.

This 20% increase is striking, considering the fact that 43 of 50 states now have a "Slow Down, Move Over" law that applies to police, fire, and EMS vehicles. This American Automobile Association (AAA) chart shows which states have the law and what is required by it.

Clearly, there's a problem. As a former police officer, I can vouch for the long and very valuable hours of Officer Survival training. However, when traffic crashes kill 50% more officers than shootings, it seems that that the law enforcement training industry should address this seriously and scientifically.

ANY officer killed while serving the the public is a tragedy, regardless of whether the cause of death is a shootout or a vehicle crash. But until we stop writing off preventable traffic crashes as "accidents" and start viewing them as preventable mishaps (the way NASA does or the way the USAF does), we're unlikely to see much change.

Working WITH the Driver

We recently had the opportunity to see a really great application of Human Factors/Cognitive Science to traffic safety. The photo above shows a speed limit sign on a roadway around a shopping center in Fultondale, Alabama. Do you notice anything strange? Of course you do! That is precisely why this sign is so effective.

Humans are biased toward remembering distinct events--events that “stick out like a sore thumb.” This cognitive bias, called the Von Restorff Effect, often gets us in trouble because we remember unusual events so well that we overestimate their likelihood. An example of this is people worrying more about being struck by lightning than being injured in a car accident.

In the case of the 27mph speed limit sign, the designers employed the Von Restorff Effect to help us remember the speed limit! This is an excellent example of Human Factors being creatively applied to traffic safety.

Holiday Traffic Safety

With Independence Day around the corner, many of of us will either be driving or will have loved ones driving to visit us. The staff at MSC is looking forward to friends and family visiting Birmingham from Florida, Colorado, and Virginia. Meanwhile, we'll be traveling to assignments in Mississippi, Arkansas, and other parts of Alabama.

According to the Alabama State Troopers, 16 people lost their lives in traffic-related fatalities during the 78-hour Independence Day Weekend period last year. This year, the Alabama Troopers will conduct an aggressive enforcement campaign to try to curb those numbers. Read the article in the Montgomery Advertiser here.

Going hand-in-hand with enforcement is education. America's Road Team has several great recommendations for safe driving. These recommendations are worth keeping in mind year round:

• Plan your route
• Bring extra water
• Be aware of truck blind spots
• Slow down
• Use your cell phone after you are safely parked
• Don't cut off large trucks (or anyone else!)
• Wear your seat belt

The whole article is available here and is definitely worth reading before you take to the highway this 4th of July.

From all of us at MSC, have a safe and happy holiday, and remember to thank the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who continue to the keep the Greatest Nation "The Land of the Free."

Technology and Distracted Driving

June 28th is the last day of the National Safety Council's National Safety Month. Their 2009 campaign has addressed Teen Driving, Fall Protection, Overexertion, and Distracted Driving. Because of MSC's focus on highway traffic safety, I thought this final week of the campaign warranted an additional post.

Distraction is often defined as when a driver focuses his or her attention on something other than the driving task. When this happens, perceiving the nature of a potential roadway hazard and responding to it takes longer.

"New" technologies (cell phones, wireless e-mail, and so on) have received quite a bit of unfavorable attention as potential distractions. However, the real problem is that drivers misuse the technology: they send text messages while driving and have cell phone conversations that are intense enough to create a high mental workload. If we are honest, a) I think we all know better, but b) we all do it anyway, at least occasionally.

Since we can't put the technology-genie back in the bottle (and we wouldn't want to even if we could), and because we generally do a poor job of changing people's driving behaviors, this is an area where we will have to rely heavily on other technologies to assist educators and enforcers in keeping roadways safer.

One great example of engineering technology coming to the rescue is a new product called Zoomsafer. MSC doesn't have any interest in this company, we don't receive any kickback from them, and we haven't studied it ourselves (or seen other peer-reviewed studies of it). However, these folks definitely have the right idea: use technology to assist the user and make his or her experience better and safer.

Zoomsafer may or may not work--I've signed up to be a beta customer so I can find out for myself. And the product is still in its infancy (it's still signing on beta customers). But this is absolutely on the right track: making people's lives better and safer with technology, and then finding an effective way to bring that technology to market.

Distracted Driving: The Final Week of National Safety Month

The final week of National Safety Month focuses on Distracted Driving.

With the increasing number of available in-vehicle technologies, drivers and companies are facing many new challenges. Cell phones, in-vehicle e-mail, and in-cab messaging or routing systems can create large efficiency gains for companies. They can also help drivers stay in touch with friends, relatives, clients, and co-workers while away from home. But the price of these efficiency and quality-of-life improvements can be huge if the the technologies divert attention from the driving task.

As seen in the photo above, there can be plenty of potential hazards on the highway. Technology isn't going away, and it isn't going to become less commonly used; as drivers, managers, and trainers, we will have to find ways to integrate technologies into a safe driving experience. This will mean well thought out and properly enforced policies and driver training that specifically addresses the issue of in-vehicle technology.

Another critical aspect of safely integrating technology is research in the fields of engineering and human performance. Research in these fields is ongoing at many of the top universities in the US, UK, Australia, and throughout Europe.

The NSC offers four tips for mitigating driver distraction:

* If you need to use your cell phone while driving, pull over and put the car in Park.

* Hands-free mode does not make a cell phone safer.

* Avoid driving when fatigued.

* Crash rates for teenage drivers who transport teenage passengers increase with every additional passenger. Limit who rides with your teen!

The NSC sums it up like this: "When driving, keep you mind on the road and your hands on the wheel."

Transportation Safety in the News

The first three weeks of June have had more than their share of big news items related to transportation. Most interesting (and personally most encouraging) is the announcement of the American Trucking Association's 18 Point Safety Agenda. The agenda includes recommendations for improvements in Driver, Vehicle, and Motor Carrier performance.

If your opinion of the American trucking industry is still being influenced by Smokey and the Bandit (no disrespect to the movie!), take a minute to read the ATA's recommendations. They include mandatory speed limiters ("governors") set at 65mph and primary seat belt enforcement laws.

However, not everyone is behind the recommendations. The Owner Operator and Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) opposes the speed limiter provision. The link above (to TheTruckerDOTcom) includes OOIDA's statements, too.

Other important news already this month has included the release of NHTSA's Fatalites and Injuries in Motor Vehicle Backing Crashes, a comprehensive study of what causes and contributes to backing crashes on US highways and private parking lots. One of NHTSA's significant findings was confirmation that children under 5 years of age and adults over 70 years of age have an elevated risk of being injured in backing collisions.

Perhaps the most significant news came in the form of a 90-page white paper from the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, James Oberstar (D-MN). The paper is a blueprint for the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, and it explicitly recommends making EOBR technology mandatory for the entire trucking industry. More information about the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 is available from the US House of Representatives' website.

Overexertion

Week three of National Safety Month focuses on preventing injuries due to overexertion. According to the NSC, back injuries due to overexertion are the nation’s leading safety problem in the workplace. However, as accident investigators in the Deep South, we face other exertion-related hazards – including extreme heat during summer inspections.

As employers, it is our responsibility to make sure that employees are provided with proper training and with 100% of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) necessary for completing assignments in a safe way. Employers must also ensure that their organization is “friendly” to employees reporting safety concerns such as acute or chronic overexertion.

View the NSC's tips on avoiding overexertion in the home.

View the NSC's tips on avoiding overexertion in the workplace.

WSP's ECM Field Guide

As of 11 June 2009, the Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit's (WSP TRU) ECM Field Guide is complete and ready for publication. The Guide contains instructions for identifying and handling Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar, Cummins, Mack, and Mercedes heavy truck ECMs, as well as the types of data that can be expected from them.

MSC is honored to have been asked to assist WSP Trooper Tim Austin with the final review and edits. Bill worked with Trooper Austin on some substantive issues, and MSC supplied photos of some of the rarer ECMs. Kelly also reviewed the document from a technical communication standpoint. This was a superb, well researched document before MSC was asked to assist, and we consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to contribute to such a high quality piece of work.

MSC thanks Trooper Tim Austin, Sgt. Duane Meyers, and the rest of the professional Law Enforcement Officers of the WSP TRU for providing the industry with this outstanding guide!

The ECM Field Guide is available here, and can be downloaded, copied, and distributed as needed. The document is copyrighted by WSP, so please give credit to them if you reproduce it.

Bill Speaks at the Midwest Association of Technical Accident Investigators (MATAI) Annual Conference

On June 9, at the MATAI Annual Conference, Bill presented the results of Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorder (EDR) testing that was conducted with the Wisconsin State Patrol last month at Fox Valley Technical College. The testing involved using heavy vehicles to simulate real-life events (such as a loss of power) to better understand how an Event Control Module (ECM) records data during accidents.

MATAI is a group of accident investigators from law enforcement, engineering, and academia, whose members represent eight states in the Midwest. Visit the MATAI website.

Other speakers at the conference included John Daily (pole impacts); Ron Heusser (truck brake systems); Dr. Daniel Metz (vehicle dynamics); Rick Ruth (automobile EDRs); and Jim Sobek (conspicuity). About 125 people attended this year's conference at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

Fall Prevention

During this week of National Safety Month, the National Safety Council (NSC) focuses on Fall Prevention. According to OSHA, the majority of fatal falls in work-related incidents were from ladders and roofs. According to the US Department of Labor, falls account for 8% of all occupational fatalities from trauma.

Fall protection, as well as identifying and eliminating fall hazards, are key components in limiting the number of workers harmed or killed in fall incidents.

Learn more about fall hazards and possible solutions.

Learn more about OSHA’s Fall Protection Standards.

Free Training for Parents!

With this weeks' focus on Teen Driving Safety, the National Safety Council is offering the online version of its course:  Alive at 25 FREE to anyone who registers by 7 June 09.  This is a really excellent class that's worth the small fee even if you're reading this after 7 June 09.  NSC's description of the class:

The "Alive at 25 Parent Program" is an engaging, science-based course that educates parents about the risks teen drivers face.

Click Here to register, and use the code NSM

Teen Driving Safety

This week, the National Safety Council's Safety Month Awareness Campaign focuses on teen driving. Here are some facts from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Safety Council (NSC).

• 15-24-year-olds comprise only 14% of the US population, but they account for approximately 30% of motor vehicle accident costs.
• Teens account for approximately 10% of the US population, but they account for 12% of those fatally injured in car crashes.
• 4,544 teens died in car crashes in 2005. Over 400,000 were injured badly enough to visit a hospital emergency room.
• Each day TEN 15-20-year-olds are killed in car crashes.

The CDC is an excellent resource for parents, driving trainers, law enforcement officers, and public officials. Visit the CDC's teen driver page.

The NSC provides training materials and other information to assist responsible parties (parents, driving trainers, administrators, employers, and so on) with issues on teen driving. Visit the NSC's teen driver page.

Download the NSC's Family Guide to Teen Driving.

Learn about Graduated Driver's Licenses at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Q&A page.

Here are some ways you can help:

• Support Graduated Driver Licensing and the politicians who support or advocate it.
• Be an involved parent. Several studies have shown that parental involvement has a bigger effect on teen driving safety than expensive training programs.
• Set a good example on the road. Young people tend to repeat behaviors they see in adults.
  

Testing with the Wisconsin State Patrol

The photo above shows some of our test equipment on a MCI Motorcoach. The bus was outfitted with two VC-4000 tri-axial accelerometers. The bus's motion was also measured by a Stalker RADAR and high-speed video. This bus was equipped with air disc brakes, an automatic transmission, and a DDC Series 60 engine with DDEC IV ECM.

We had several goals when conducting this test, including examining the effects of specific driver inputs on the Last Stop Record. Like the rest of the tests we conducted at Fox Valley, the goal was to replicate real-world post-crash scenarios to see how the Event Data Recorder interpreted what happened.


The photo above shows us creating a Hard Brake record with an International tractor and DDC motor. If you look closely at the left-hand side of the photo, you can see the smoke boiling from the drive axle. This was a really, really fun day!

The results of all of this testing (as much as we can fit, anyway) will be presented at the Midwest Association of Technical Accident Investigator's Annual Conference, during the second week in June.

More About the DD-15

The DD-15 is such a cool engine that we couldn't help posting one more picture of it, this one from the passenger side of the tractor. Some of the things we learned on the forensics side were that there is much more calibration data in this ECM (which makes sense since its a more sophisticated motor); the proclivity of the clock-time to "drift" still exists (an endearing little tick!); and the DDEC Reports data are pretty much identical.

The links below have some info on the DD-15:

DD-15 Brochure

http://www.detroitdiesel.com/pdf/engines/2009-dd15-brochure.pdf

A comparison of DDC's engines

http://www.detroitdiesel.com/engines/compare.aspx

The DD-15 homepage

http://www.detroitdiesel.com/engines/dd15/

Downloading Event Data from Detroit Diesel's new DD-15

Yesterday, Ron DeMonia and I had the privilege of doing some testing with Detroit Diesel's new DD-15 engine (pictured above). DD-15 is the replacement for the Series 60 engine, a workhorse that's been around for 21 years. From a performance standpoint, DD-15 is awesome: 14.8L of displacement and up to 560hp and 1850ft-lbs of torque. On the forensics side, DD-15 is a little difficult: it's a 2-module ECU, comprised of a Motor Control Module and a Common Powertrain Controler, and it somewhat resembles an MBE or VMAC IV.

The issue we were looking at yesterday was how the calibration files should be accessed and downloaded. If you do forensic downloads and haven't seen the DDDL 7.x, take a look: it is completely different from any of the ECM /EDR software out there.

June is National Safety Month, an event sponsored by the National Safety Council to raise awareness about specific safety issues and injury mechanisms. This year the Safety Council and its members will work to provide information and educational material related to a separate issue for each of the four weeks:

1. June 1 - 7 Teen Driving
2. June 8 - 14 Fall Protection
3. June 15 - 21 Overexertion
4. June 22 - 30 Distracted Driving

MSC is proud to have been a member of the NSC since our inception in 2006. All of us believe that along with the ability to analyze accidents comes the obligation to use that ability so that future mishaps, accidents, and injuries can be prevented.

ECM Testing in Wisconsin

Bill Messerschmidt conducted Electronic Control Module (ECM) testing with the Wisconsin State Patrol in Appleton, Wisconsin, at Fox Valley Technical College on May 4 - 5. The testing involved using heavy vehicles to simulate real-life events, such as a loss of power, to better understand how ECMs record data during accidents.

MSC would like to thank Trooper Tim Austin and Sergeant Duane Meyers and the rest of the Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit; Ben Smith of ASI Investigations; Rob Behnke and the staff of Fox Valley Technical College; Chris Voeglie of the NTSB; Vericom Computers; and Lamers Bus Service for their help in facilitating this testing event.

Watch news footage about the ECM testing.

Research to be Included in SAE Transactions

On April 21st, Bill Messerschmidt presented his research paper titled "A Statistical Analysis of Event Data from Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders" at the 2009 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress in Detroit, Michigan. The paper was co-authored by Jeffrey W. Muttart.

Bill and Jeff's paper was nominated for inclusion in SAE Transactions, a compilation of the year's most significant technical research. At the World Congress, session organizers announced that the paper was selected for inclusion in this prestigious collection.

Bill Speaks at Georgia Trial Lawyers Association's Annual Convention

On April 16th, Bill Messerschmidt was an invited speaker at the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association's Annual Convention. Bill spoke about GPS/GLS-enabled fleet management systems and Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs). The convention, which was held at The Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, was filled to capacity. Bill and MSC thank Mr. Buck Rogers of Fried Rogers Goldberg LLC for the invitation to speak in the Trucking Litigation session of the Convention.

Fulfilling Our Mission

On April 15th, five MSC employees completed a three-hour training course through the Birmingham Red Cross. The course, titled "Fulfilling Our Mission," is the first class in a series that prepares individuals and companies to assist the American Red Cross (ARC) with disaster response, recovery, and preparedness.

Bill Messerschmidt, Ron DeMonia, Tim Joiner, Connie Davis, and Wendi Vegter completed the class. Each will be choosing areas in which to volunteer and assist the ARC, from clerical work to damage assessments to shelter management.

We anticipate that volunteering for the ARC will be a way that all of us can use our knowledge, skills, and abilities to give back to those in need.

Memorial Run for Trooper Demetrice Banks

Wendi Vegter (standing with Nicholas Vegter), Todd Vegter (holding Zack Vegter), Kelly Messerschmidt, and Bill Messerschmidt completed the Memorial Run for Trooper Demetrice Banks on 11 April 2009 in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Through this event, the Alabama State Trooper Association raised approximately $6000 to be placed in a trust fund for Trooper Banks' daughters. Those of us at MSC who participated in the run had a great time, and we are very proud to have been one of the business sponsoring this event.

Work Zone Awareness Week Begins Today

Every year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsors an educational campaign to raise awareness about highway work zone safety. According to the FHWA, about one worker is killed every 10 hours in a highway construction zone.

You can view the 2009 Work Zone Awareness Week poster here:

http://www.atssa.com/galleries/default-file/NWZAW-Poster-Vert-web.pdf

The FHWA also provides a great deal of statistical data on highway injuries here:

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/facts/

Upcoming Events

April 11, 2009 ~ Memorial 5K Run for Trooper Demetrice Banks
In addition to MSC's being a proud sponsor of this event, several MSC employees will be participating. For more information or to join us in the run, go to http://www.alabamatroopers.net/.


April 21, 2009 ~ 2009 SAE World Congress
Bill will be presenting his technical paper, "A Statistical Analysis of Data from Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders at the 2009 SAE World Congress.


June 8-12, 2009 ~ Midwest Association of Technical Accident Investigators
Bill is an invited speaker at this annual conference.

Mississippi Association for Justice

On Friday, March 27th, Bill was a presenter at the Mississippi Association for Justice, Trucking Litigation Seminar in Jackson, MS. Bill and Tim Corbitt spoke about "Unlocking Black Box and ECM Data."

March 2009 Newsletter

Click the link "March 2009" below to view that issue of our company's newsletter.

March 2009

Newsletters

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