FMCSA : STRIVING TO PREVENT BUS AND TRUCK CRASHES

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, created in 1999, has the job of reducing the number of injuries, fatalities and crashes suffered in large trucks and buses. It is the first major new agency created by Congress in the last 30 years. It is focusing on improving accident reporting systems to better identify areas needing the most attention; targeting high-risk carriers and drivers for greater enforcement; safety education for the general driving public and among motor carrier personnel; and developing technological solutions to safety problems. Two years into operation, fatalities among its target group are down 3%, due to stepped-up enforcement for high-risk carriers. Truck driver licensing is also being studied, as are training techniques to reduce driver-error crashes. The administration hopes to cut in half the 5,300 fatalities in large truck crashes by 2010. One-third of the accidents are attributed to errors by truckers.