Con-way Freight Incorporates Advanced Safety Technologies

Less-than-truckload (LTL) Con-way Freight recently invested $5.4 million toward the installation of several advanced safety technologies into 1,300 new Freightliner Cascadia 2010-model tractors, which the carrier has put into service. Con-way’s goals for incorporating the safety technologies are to reduce the frequency of accidents and the accident situations that trucks are most commonly involved in. They are also aiming to minimize driver distraction.

Examples of the technologies Con-way has installed include a forward collision warning technology with adaptive cruise control, developed by Meritor Wabco, to help with maintaining a safe following distance and to help with avoiding rear-end collisions by braking as needed. The lane departure warning system, developed by Iteris, monitors the vehicle’s lane position and sounds an alarm when the vehicle’s operator unintentionally moves out of the lane. The roll stability control, also developed by Meritor Wabco, senses when the vehicle is at high risk of a rollover and automatically intervenes. And in order to help minimize driver distraction, Con-way implemented factory-installed, in-dash AM/FM/satellite radios in place of portable radios. This means drivers have one fewer distraction to content with behind the wheel.

"With the anticipated release of FMCSA's Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative and the potential for stricter safety regulations for truck drivers and trucking companies, Con-way Freight is proactively pursuing a high-tech approach to safety," said Bob Petrancosta, the company's vice president of safety. Petrancosta also stated that Con-way was very pleased to work with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) in the year of testing and research that went into the implementation of the technologies which can provide “real-world, lifesaving results.”

Read a news piece about Con-way’s safety technologies.

Visit Con-way Freight online.
Visit Meritor Wabco online.
Visit Iteris online.

27% of Americans Admit to Texting While Driving

Cell phones have universal appeal for a multitude of reasons, including staying in close
contact with family, friends, coworkers or clients. With the advent of smart phones, having
access to information, news, messaging, and games on handheld devices further encourages their use.

A new Pew Internet survey reports that 27% of American adults (those age 18 and
older) say they have texted while driving. These findings come from a nationwide phone
survey of 2,252 American adults conducted between April 29 - May 30, 2010.

People ages 18-33 are the most likely age group to report texting while driving, and 59% report having sent or read messages while behind the wheel. Fifty percent of people ages 34-45 report having sent or read messages while behind the wheel, while 29% of people ages 46-64 report doing so.

"The temptation to stay connected and multitask in what is otherwise seen as idle time is very strong," said Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at the Pew Research Center and an author of the new study. "However, one point that is often overlooked in discussions of this issue is that it's about more than just keeping your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. When you're in conversation with someone outside the car — whether texting or talking — it reduces your situational awareness which is so essential to having a quick reaction time to hazards on the road."

Read a short article about the study.

FleetMentor Offering Webcast Series to Help with CSA 2010

At the end this month, FleetMentor--J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.'s online advisor tool for fleet management--will be offering the first of seven monthly webcasts that will cover each of the Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) under the FMCSA's CSA 2010 initiative. Visit the FleetMentor website.

Kicking off the series on July 28, 2010, at 1:00 pm Central Time is: "The Vehicle Maintenance BASIC: Staying on the Road to Compliance." Transportation professionals who are not currently using J. J. Keller's online fleet management advisor can register by signing up for a free 30-day trial of FleetMentor.

Each of the interactive, instructional webcasts in the series will be hosted by J. J. Keller's experts and will cover subjects such as roadside inspections, applicable regulations, violations, interventions, records keeping, scoring, and the safety management cycle. Various elements of FleetMentor's "online toolbox" will be covered, the goals of which are to help participants prepare for and manage their compliance programs under CSA 2010.

The following list provides the schedule for the remainder of the FleetMaster webcasts:

"Unsafe Driving," August 26, 2010 at 1:00 pm Central Time
"Improper Loading / Cargo Securement," September 22, 2010 at 1:00 pm Central Time
"Fatigued Driving (HOS/EOBR)," October 28, 2010 at 1:00 pm Central Time
"Controlled Substances and Alcohol," November 16, 2010 at 1:00 Central Time
"Driver Fitness," December 14, 2010 at 1:00 PM Central Time
"Crash / Incident Experience," January 25, 2011 at 1:00 Central Time

Visit the J. J. Keller website.

Helping Tour Groups Choose the Right Vehicle and Passenger Carrier Company

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the agency within the US Department of Transportation (DOT) tasked with the mission of bus and truck safety. There is a wealth of information on the FMCSA website, and one resource we'd like to highlight is their Passenger Carrier Safety Website, which is an interactive, informational tool to aid individuals or groups in selecting the right vehicle and the safest passenger carrier companies.

The FMCSA's Passenger Carrier Safety website allows users to select a vehicle type based on the number of passengers to be transported, length of trip in terms of time, whether the passengers will have baggage or equipment, and the type of terrain the vehicle will traverse during the course of the trip.

After determining which vehicle type is right for the trip and for meeting the group's needs, users can use the search tools to Find a Carrier. The search generates a list of interstate passenger carriers in the area the user specifies, and it provides safety information on these carriers based on safety ratings.

For other helpful resources—including information on pre-trip safety for bus/motorcoach passengers, and information on selecting vehicles and carriers for transporting children—check out the FMCSA’s Bus/Motorcoach Passenger Safety Information page.

Paying Attention to Tour Bus Safety: Surprise Roadside Inspections at Yosemite National Park

Approximately 250,000 visitors arrive at Yosemite National Park on tour buses each year, and a large majority of the tour bus passengers are international visitors. During a five day period of surprise roadside inspections of commercial tour buses at Yosemite National Park, June 9-20, only 31% (47 of 153) of the buses were deemed safe and released with no citation. In contrast, 21% were deemed so unsafe that they were taken out of service by federal inspectors (22 for safety-related equipment problems, and 10 for drivers' logbook violations).

The unannounced inspections were carried out by the FMCSA in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the National Park Service (NPS), along with Yosemite Law Enforcement Rangers and other agencies. Surprise inspections like this will take place at the park this year. Read more about the June 2010 Yosemite inspection event.

Good News About Crash Statistics & Survival Rates for Senior Drivers

A status report published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on June 19 reports that the rate of fatal crashes per licensed driver aged 70 and older declined between 1997 - 2008. The rate of less severe crashes reported to law enforcement during the time period also decreased.

These unanticipated declines are particularly noteworthy considering the proportion of the US population aged 65 and older is growing. IIHS researchers also found a 34% decline in injury crash rates among drivers aged 80 and older between 1997 - 2005 -- compared to a decline of 16% for drivers aged 35 - 54.

What factors may have influenced these trends? According to the IIHS study, older drivers may be "policing" themselves; in other words, they may be deciding to stop driving when they believe they can no longer do so safely. Another possible factor discussed in the report is that states can impose restrictions on drivers as they age. The study reports that as of May 2010, 18 states have shortened license renewal periods; nine states require vision tests for older drivers at each renewal; two states require road tests; and seven states require older drivers to renew their license in person.

The Institute notes that improvements in older people's physical conditioning and health could be reducing their risk of crashing, as well as increasing their chances of survival in the event they do crash. "Seniors are less likely to get into police-reported crashes in the first place, and they're less likely to die from their injuries when they do crash. This isn't what we expected, given older driver demographics and other influences," said Anne McCartt, IIHS Senior Vice President for Research and an author of this recent report.

View the IIHS Status Report, Volume 45:6.

More Value Added to MCSAC

Anne Ferro, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), recently appointed senior officials from the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.) to the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC). John Lannen, TSC Executive Director, and Jane Mathis, Board Member of P.A.T.T., were among the eight new advisory committee members added to the committee. The purpose of MCSAC is to provide advice, information, and recommendations to the FMCSA in regards to motor carrier safety regulations and programs.

“Making the nation’s highways safer for all drivers by making truck safety a top national priority is what the Truck Safety Coalition is all about,” said Lannen. Mathis, whose son and daughter-in-law were killed in a 2004 collision said, “I look forward to offering the perspective of a mother whose child’s death could have been prevented had stronger regulations and enforcement been in place.”

The first meeting with the new MCSAC committee was held on June 8 – 10. Foremost on the agenda was to find ways to prevent distracted driving by commercial motor vehicle operators, with a particular emphasis on in-cab technologies and activities.

Read about the other new MCSAC committee members.
Visit the TSC website.