An experimental Driver Fatigue Monitor may help truck drivers from dozing off behind the wheel. The system uses infrared light to determine when drivers are too tired to be driving. It measures how “heavy” eyes are becoming by monitoring the eyelids. If the eyes are closed for three or four seconds several times in a…
Continue reading ›We reported recently on a suit filed by Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, Parents Against Tired Truckers and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and later the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, challenging the current FMCSA hours of service regulation. The rule allows truckers to drive 11 consecutive hours before taking a mandatory 10-hour off-duty…
Continue reading ›It’s been a busy week for tractor trailer crashes in Georgia. Three of the four incidents involved multiple tractor trailers. Last Friday, March 10th, a crash involving two tractor trailers and a pickup truck shut down all westbound lanes of I-20 near Temple. Tuesday morning at 6:30 AM, about a miles away from the first…
Continue reading ›A DriveCam camera mounted inside a passenger bus captured a horrifying crash when a tractor trailer lost control, ran over a car, and collided with the median barrier and the bus on the Long Island Expressway in New York. The camera records both the driver and the driver’s view when sensors detect erratic driving behavior.…
Continue reading ›Kyoto, Japan, 3/6/06. The Japanese have found an effective deterrent to trucking companies pushing drivers to drive even when severely fatigued. Police arrested the head of a trucking company and one of his deputies Monday on suspicion of ordering an overworked tanker truck driver to continue driving prior to a fatal road accident on Feb.…
Continue reading ›Fayette County, TN, 3/7/06 On I-40 in Tennessee, a westbound tanker truck crossed the median and struck two passenger vehicles, killing the drivers of both. Michelle Cotton, 37, of Jackson, and Catina Randall, 33, of Houston, were killed. The tanker truck was driven by Roberto Arriaga, 36, of Corpus Christi, Texas. According to the Tennessee…
Continue reading ›Cullman, Alabama, 3/3/06. On I-65 in Cullman County, Alabama, an 18-wheeler drifted off the roadway on Monday, and struck a pickup truck stopped in the emergency lane with sufficient force to separate the cab from the bed of the truck. The truck’s gas tank also exploded, covering the vehicle in fuel and flames. Michael Cammon,…
Continue reading ›U.S. DOT Secretary Mineta has appointed five doctors to serve on the new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) Medical Review Board. FMCSA is planning updates to physical qualification regulations of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The board is supposed to provide science-based guidance to establish realistic and responsible medical standards. Criteria for appointment includes…
Continue reading ›An article in today’s AJC, titled “Tort reform has bizarre consequence,” describes the absurd consequences of the “winner pays” rule enacted as part of last year’s tort reform legislation. A young woman who was the victim of sexual assault, and whose assailants were criminally convicted, is at risk to be forced to pay her assailants’…
Continue reading ›I occasionally write in this blog of advances in stem cell research that may someday aid in spinal cord and brain injury treatment. I’m excited about the potential for development of non-embryonic stem cells from cord blood, adult olfactory nerves, etc. On the face of it, I tend to favor laws that restrict any form…
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