ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves issued the following statement after the National Transportation Safety Board's report on a 2010 truck-involved crash in Gray Summit, Mo.:
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"Every fatality on our highways is a tragedy, but never more so than when the crash could so easily have been avoided. The NTSB's investigation and report underscores the need for policymakers at the federal and state level to do more to prevent all drivers from texting while behind the wheel. ATA supported new regulations, made effective in October 2010, that prohibit commercial drivers from texting and urges lawmakers to enact similar bans for drivers of all vehicles. ATA encourages lawmakers to go a step further and prohibit passenger vehicle operators from driving while using a hand-held cell phone. ATA also supported the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's recent ban on hand-held cell phone use by truck drivers.
"The NTSB report also exposes some flaws in how federal regulators monitor the safety performance of commercial trucking fleets. Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's safety monitoring and measurement system, CSA, this crash will be attributed to the involved trucking company's and driver's records and increase the carrier's likelihood of being selected for government intervention and scrutiny. This is the case even though there is little to nothing the professional driver could have done to avoid the tragic incident.
"ATA looks forward to FMCSA's implementation of a system to deal with crash accountability so that fleets and drivers are not subject to unjust penalties from future incidents over which they have no control."
American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking associations and industry-related conferences and councils, ATA is the voice of the industry America depends on most to move our nation's freight. Follow ATA on Twitter or on Facebook. Good stuff. Trucks Bring It!
SOURCE American Trucking Associations
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