Transportation Safety Improvements Outlined By NTSB
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its 2016 list of most wanted transportation safety improvements – ten recommendations aimed at preventing injury and saving lives. The NTSB is charged with investigating the cause of train derailments, motor vehicle accidents, airline crashes and marine incidents in the United States. Data gleaned from these in-depth investigations serves as a powerful tool for implementing safety initiatives across all transportation sectors.
This year’s “most wanted list” of safety improvements focuses largely on technology solutions that would help reduce incidence of highway fatalities, the leading cause of death and severe injuries in transportation.
Agency calls for Positive Train Control
Rail safety initiatives were addressed in the most wanted list. The NTSB urges the widespread implementation of positive train control (PTC) – a highly advanced system that can automatically stop a train when needed. PTC features collision avoidance technology and can enforce temporary speed restrictions in certain zones. The technology was supposed to be put in place by the end of 2015, but Congress has changed the legislation and deadline.
“Every PTC-preventable accident, death, and injury on tracks and trains affected by the law will be a direct result of the missed 2015 deadline and the delayed implementation of this life-saving technology,” said NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart, who stresses the urgency in implementing the suggestions outlined in the agency’s most wanted list.
Proposed safety measures to prevent traffic accidents
In a January press release issued last month, the NTSB Chairman calls the list the agency’s “road map from lessons learned to lives saved.”
Other measures advocated by the NTSB include:
- Reducing the number of distracted driving accidents by banning the use of portable electronic devices when driving
- Reducing deaths and injuries on highways caused by impaired drivers by lowering the legal limit on blood alcohol content from .08 to .05
- Addressing the widespread epidemic of drug-impaired driving, whether caused by over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs or illegal narcotics
- Reducing drowsy driving accidents affecting private and commercials vehicles
- Improving motorist and passenger safety through more rigorous enforcement of child restraints and seat belt use
- Promoting the availability of collision avoidance technology that will be sold as standard equipment, rather than luxury add-ons, in all highway vehicles
- Reducing accidents caused by untreated or undiagnosed medical conditions by requiring all operators to submit to “medical fitness for duty”
- Expanding the utilization of on-board video recorders for trucks and buses
Legal advocacy for victims of driver negligence
Preventable vehicle and rail accidents remain a serious concern to The Sanders Firm, a New York-based practice that has assisted hundreds of victims in their legal plight to obtain justice. Our veteran attorneys investigate liability issues and can swiftly determine when the injured have a viable claim for compensation.
For the better part of five decades, our personal injury lawyers have advocated for those involved in train derailments, railroad crossing accidents, as well as motor vehicle collisions. Plaintiffs may be entitled to demand damages for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, as well as other losses.
Protect your legal rights in the wake of a traffic or rail accident by speaking to an experienced and highly qualified attorney. Call The Sanders Firm at 1-800-FAIR-PLAY to arrange your free case evaluation. Resources
- National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB Unveils 2016 Most Wanted List, Stresses Technology https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20160113.aspx
- National Law Review, National Transportation Safety Board Targets Impaired Driving, https://www.natlawreview.com/article/national-transportation-safety-board-targets-impaired-driving
