HIGHLIGHTING NTSB ADVOCACY IN ACTION
VOL 5 ISSUE 1 (Jan-April 2019)
THE BIG STORIES
NTSB Supports Michigan and California .05 BAC Legislation; MADD Supports NTSB .05 Rec!
Board members and staff continue to advocate for all states to adopt our recommendations to lower the per se blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit from .08 to .05 percent (or lower) and enact all-offender ignition interlock laws. Following Utah’s adoption of a lower legal BAC limit in December 2018, several more states introduced similar legislation. On March 21, Board Member Jennifer Homendy spoke at a press conference in Lansing, Michigan, in support of legislation introduced by Michigan Rep. Abdullah Hammoud to lower the per se BAC limit in Michigan to .05 percent and to require ignition interlocks for all offenders. At the press conference, for the first time, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) announced its support for a .05 BAC limit. On April 4, Safety Advocate Leah Walton discussed our recommendations at a press conference in Sacramento, California. Five days later, she testified on behalf of the all‑offender ignition interlock law before the California Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety. The bill passed unanimously out of committee. To learn more about NTSB recommendations related to impaired driving, read our fact sheet
Chairman Sumwalt Receives Major Advocacy Award

On April 10, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) presented Chairman Robert Sumwalt with a “ Highway Safety Hero ” award. The Chairman received the award, one of several given to individuals who have been champions of highway and auto safety, during Advocates’ 30 th anniversary ceremony on Capitol Hill. The award recognized the Chairman’s leadership at the NTSB, whose work has been instrumental in ensuring the safety of the traveling public on our nation’s roads and highways. 
GENERAL ADVOCACY & OUTREACH
NTSB & TRB Webinar: Leading Future Improvements in Transportation Safety

The NTSB and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) joined forces on March 5 to present a webinar, entitled “Leading Future Improvements in Transportation Safety.” The webinar introduced viewers to the NTSB’s 2019–2020 Most Wanted List and TRB’s Critical Issues in Transportation 2019 report. Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg and TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen defined the safety elements from the TRB and NTSB reports, described how these issues will affect current and future transportation initiatives, and discussed how to incorporate these issues into transportation planning and policy. View the webinar
AVIATION SAFETY
Vice Chairman, Aviation Safety Staff Discuss New MWL Issue at Air Charter Symposium

Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg and John DeLisi, Jim Silliman, David Lawrence, and Bill Bramble from the Aviation Safety Office highlighted the NTSB’s new Most Wanted List (MWL) issue, “ Improve the Safety of Part 135 Aircraft Flight Operations ,” in various presentations at the Air Charter Safety Foundation Symposium on March 12–13. The audience of about 75 included Part 135 operators as well as general aviation operators. DeLisi introduced our new MWL item, reviewing past accidents and safety concerns with this aviation segment, and the Vice Chairman discussed why this issue became a focus for the NTSB, as well as two other MWL issues of concern to the aviation sector: impairment and fatigue . Our investigators detailed two recent accident investigations that featured Part 135 safety issues, including the Teterboro, New Jersey, Learjet crash findings , which were unveiled at an NTSB Board meeting that same week.
HIGHWAY SAFETY
NTSB Hosts Two Roundtables for Distracted-Driving Awareness Month
Teen Crash Focus in CA: On April 3, the NTSB, Impact Teen Drivers , and the California Highway Patrol kicked off Distracted Driving Awareness Month with a Western States Teen Safe Driving Roundtable held at the California State University in Sacramento, California. Representatives from the medical, law enforcement, and education communities; survivor advocacy groups; academia; and community outreach groups discussed effective countermeasures for improving teen driver safety, with a focus on distracted-driving-related crashes; peer-driven advocacy programs; community approaches; and better engagement of parents and other influencers to help address this problem. Read our blog or view the event on our YouTube page .
Trucking Perspective in Texas:
On April 11, the NTSB, in coordination with Jetco Delivery and StopDistractions.org , facilitated a roundtable in Houston, Texas, to discuss distracted driving on Texas roadways, a state with a particularly high rate of distracted-driving crashes, despite having recently passed a texting ban. Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg facilitated a conversation among representatives of survivor advocate groups, regulatory agencies, law enforcement, and industry about the problem. We also explored the issue from the trucking industry’s perspective—the eyes and ears of our roadways—and asked “what more can commercial drivers and industry do to change behavior?” The event was broadcast live on our YouTube page . After the event, the Vice Chairman met with the mayor of Houston. 
MWL Webinar: Truck Owners Should Install Collision Avoidance Technologies

On April 18, nearly 150 trucking, government, and auto technology representatives tuned into our Most Wanted List (MWL) webinar: “Collision Avoidance Systems—Why You Need Them in Your Trucks Today!” The goal of the webinar was to remind heavy-duty truck carriers (Class 8) that collision avoidance systems are available today and proven to prevent and mitigate crashes, and to encourage faster installation of these technologies. Board Member Earl Weener discussed why this issue is on our MWL, and Highway Safety Investigator Ensar Becic presented crash case studies. The American Trucking Associations, which worked with us to develop the webinar, provided an industry overview about implementation rates. We heard from two trucking companies—Sentinel Transportation and Perfect Transportation—which have successfully incorporated collision avoidance systems into their fleets. A representative of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters presented the driver’s perspective. View webinar on YouTube .
Impairment, Safety Tech, Speeding & Motorcycle Safety: Topics at Lifesavers

Board Member Jennifer Homendy, highway safety investigators, advocates, researchers, and communicators from the NTSB joined other safety professionals March 31–April 2 in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Lifesavers Highway Safety Priorities Conference , the world’s largest gathering of highway safety professionals. Staff presented on several 2019–2020 Most Wanted List items , including impairment and the move toward a .05 percent BAC limit; reducing speeding-related crashes; the importance of collision avoidance technologies; and strengthening occupant protection. We shared recently released safety recommendations and investigation report information in various sessions throughout the conference. More than 150 highway safety professionals from around the world visited the NTSB exhibit over the 3-day conference. 
Highway Safety Director at SAE Industry/Government Meeting

Highway Safety Director Robert Molloy presented at SAE International’s Government and Industry Meeting on April 4 about truck and bus driver fatigue, and about the critical need to screen and, if necessary, treat drivers for obstructive sleep apnea. He highlighted NTSB crash investigations involving these issues, and explained why the NTSB recommends making collision avoidance systems standard in all motor vehicles. Hundreds of government employees and representatives from the passenger and commercial vehicle industries, along with suppliers, attended the SAE meeting.
Addressing the 30th World Traffic Safety Symposium

Managing Director Sharon Bryson addressed attendees at the 2019 World Traffic Safety Symposium (WTSS), which was held in conjunction with the New York Auto Show, on April 17. Bryson drew on her experience with the NTSB's Transportation Disaster Assistance (TDA) team to encourage her audience to take action to prevent highway crashes. Bryson recalled her work in TDA setting up a family assistance center after an aviation accident in the same venue 18 years earlier. The TDA team at that time made contact with up to 10 loved ones for each person lost. At the WTSS, Bryson noted the lifetime risk of crash death and the pyramid of injury, concluding that “knowing someone injured or killed in a highway crash is the norm, not the exception.” She asked attendees to consider their own brushes with highway injuries and deaths. “We must decide that such losses are not normal,” she said, adding, “It is clear that we do not only need to change our behavior as drivers—we need to design out the problem.” 
Chairman, Staff Present to Academy of Forensic Scientists

On February 19, Chairman Robert Sumwalt, Medical Officer Dr. Nicholas Webster, Senior Human Performance Investigator Jana Price, PhD, and Safety Advocate Leah Walton presented a workshop on “Understanding and Preventing Impairment in Transportation” at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. They gave presentations on accidents and crashes involving drug impairment and discussed the role that toxicologists can play in identifying impairment. Additionally, they highlighted an open NTSB safety recommendation to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop a standard of practice for drug toxicology testing ( H-12-33 ). The workshop also provided attendees information that will help forensic scientists support transportation safety through their work documenting data and testifying at DUI trials.
YOUTH AND TEEN OUTREACH
Safety Advocacy Chief Helps Dori Save Lives

Safety Advocacy Chief Nicholas Worrell showed NTSB's support for driver's education programs by participating in the Dori Slosberg Foundation's Dori Saves Lives and the Allstate Foundation's Driver Education Conference on March 8 in Boca Raton, Florida. The gathering brought together more than 150 instructors, administrators, and others interested in driver's education or advocating for safer roads. In his keynote address, Worrell urged the group to help eliminate distracted driving by improving training and increasing conversations with teens. Read the blog .
FED & STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
U.S. Senate: Chairman Testifies on Pipeline and Aviation Safety

On March 27, Chairman Robert Sumwalt testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation and Space on “The State of Airline Safety: Federal Oversight of Commercial Aviation.” The Chairman discussed f oreign investigations of Boeing 737-MAX 8 crashes, as well as several aviation safety issues highlighted on our Most Wanted List (MWL), including those related to fatigue, and our new MWL issue, “Improve the Safety of Part 135 Aircraft Flight Operations.” On April 10, he testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety on “Pipeline Safety: Federal Oversight and Stakeholder Perspectives.” He told the committee that the NTSB has completed more than 120 investigations of hazardous liquid pipeline ruptures and natural gas pipeline explosions since 1967. Currently, the NTSB has eight open pipeline investigations. The Chairman explained that pipeline safety is on the NTSB’s 2019–2020 MWL, as part of “Ensure the Safe Shipment of Hazardous Materials.” 
U.S. House: Member Homendy Testifies on Pipeline and Highway Safety

On April 2, Board Member Jennifer Homendy testified before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials on “Pipeline Safety: Reviewing the Unmet Mandates and Examining Additional Safety Needs.” She discussed two significant NTSB recommendations that urge that automatic shutoff or remote control valves be installed in high-consequence areas and addressed pipeline operators’ repeated failures to detect ruptures and leaks and take appropriate action. She also discussed our Most Wanted List (MWL) item related to pipeline safety: “Ensure the Safe Shipment of Hazardous Materials.” On April 9, Member Homendy testified before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit on improving the safety of our nation’s roadways. She told the committee that “our goal is zero deaths and injuries on our nation’s roadways,” and reviewed the items on the MWL, seven of which relate to highway safety. 

Massachusetts: Vice Chairman Testifies on Ignition Interlocks, Distraction, Seat Belts

Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg testified March 28 before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Transportation in support of measures presented by the governor to strengthen highway safety laws related to distracted driving, ignition interlocks, and seat belts. More than 37,000 lives were lost on our nation’s roadways in 2017—more than 300 of those in Massachusetts. Driving is a privilege, not a right, said Landsberg. “These aren’t accidents—they are preventable. Strong laws and high-visibility enforcement, coupled with education campaigns can help reduce highway fatalities.”

Connecticut: Member Homendy Testifies on Motorcycle Safety and Seat Belts

Board Member Jennifer Homendy testified February 25 before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Transportation Committee on NTSB recommendations, calling on the states to enact laws requiring universal motorcycle helmet use and to mandate seat belt use by all motor vehicle occupants in all seating positions. She noted that, if implemented, HB 7140 (the bill before the committee) would save lives in Connecticut. Connecticut is among 28 states that require some, but not all, motorcyclists to wear a helmet. The NTSB is a strong advocate for universal helmet laws. We have recommended that all states require all motorcycle operators and passengers to wear helmets that meet or exceed federal safety standards.
North Carolina: Handheld Cell Phone Ban Support

Safety Advocacy Chief Nicholas Worrell attended a press conference in North Carolina to show NTSB support for legislation introduced by several North Carolina legislators that would ban handheld cell phone use while driving. Families and friends of the victims of distracted‑driving-related crashes also attended to provide their unique perspective on the real-world consequences of this increasing problem. 
SELECT NTSB REPORTS, ALERTS & STUDIES
MWL PROGRESS REPORT

  • Some incremental progress has been made toward the NTSB’s goal to ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices while driving, More states are strengthening distracted-driving laws. Since January, the following states have taken action: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, Virginia, Minnesota, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, Maine, and Massachusetts. We commend Arizona for recently signing into law a bill to ban texting and driving; we have worked with advocates and lawmakers in Arizona for more than 2 years to help raise awareness about this deadly issue and champion the new law. Missouri and Montana are now the only states without all-driver texting bans.


  • In April, the General Aviation Joint Safety Council’s Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) Working Group, which met at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, finished drafting safety recommendations targeted at reducing the number of CFIT general aviation accidents. The NTSB’s 2019–2020 Most Wanted List (MWL) includes a discussion of CFIT avoidance as part of the Board’s MWL issue area related to Part 135 Aircraft Flight Operations. Specifically, the NTSB calls for better CFIT training for pilots. 


  • In February and March, we closed two recommendations relating to improve HAZMAT transportation—one to Honeywell International and one to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Both were closed acceptably. Honeywell complied with our request to update its PermaLock mechanical tapping tee assembly installation instructions, and the FRA has made efforts, within its capability, to develop and implement tank car design‑specific fracture toughness standards. Ultimately, a recommendation we made to Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in our February 11, 2019, report, Rupture of a DOT-105 Rail Tank Car and Subsequent Chlorine Release at Axiall Corporation, resulted in a reclassification of the recommendation to the FRA as “Closed—Acceptable Action/Superseded.”

  • On April 23, we issued our findings related to the fatal Aug. 10, 2016, natural gas-fueled explosion and fire that occurred in a Silver Spring, Maryland, apartment building. We determined that the failure of an indoor mercury service regulator with an unconnected vent line led to the accident. As a result of the investigation, we issued 13 safety recommendations—five to Washington Gas, two each to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Public Service Commission of Maryland, and one each to the International Code Council, the National FireProtection Association, the Gas Technology Institute, and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.
 

  • In support of Sleep Awareness Week, March 11–15, we released a podcast featuring sleep and fatigue safety experts and highlighting our perspectives on the dangers of fatigue in all modes of transportation. In Behind-the-Scene @NTSB, our chief medical officer, a senior human performance investigator, and acting chief of the Safety Recommendations Division talked about the biological need for sleep; the importance of screening for and treating sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea; NTSB fatigue‑related accident and crash investigations and recommendations; and ways to address and mitigate fatigue risk across all transportation modes. Listen to the podcast


  • The U.S. Federal Transit Administration released a report in February that provides updated guidelines for developing drug and alcohol testing programs that comply with its regulations. These guidelines explain the various elements of a compliant program and contain examples of documents, checklists, and forms that may be used by individual transit employers to implement their own programs. 

  • In April, Kentucky became the 33rd state to pass an all-offender ignition interlock law. We recommended all-offender ignition interlocks in our 2013 Reaching Zero report. Studies show that laws requiring ignition interlocks for all alcohol-impaired driving offenders are associated with a 7 percent decrease in the rate of fatal drunk-driving crashes. 

  • On March 14, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released additional online resources for commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders, employers, state driver licensing agencies, medical review officers, and substance abuse professionals regarding the upcoming implementation of its CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse in January 2020. The new clearinghouse resource webpage provides commercial motor vehicle stakeholders with a variety of resources about the clearinghouse, including a comprehensive fact sheet, implementation timeline, frequently asked questions, and more.

  • On March 13, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) published research detailing issues and solutions related to marijuana-impaired driving, identified as a top safety research priority by ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee in 2018. With more states legalizing both recreational and medical marijuana, professional truck drivers are more likely to be sharing the roadway with car drivers operating under its influence.


  • Ten automakers reported equipping more than half of the vehicles they produced between September 1, 2017, and August 31, 2018, with automatic emergency braking, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced March 13. This is the second update of manufacturer progress toward equipping every new passenger vehicle with the crash avoidance technology by September 1, 2022.


  • On April 5, we classified as “Closed—Acceptable Action” a recommendation to the National Limousine Association (NLA) to develop and distribute guidelines to its member operators. The guidelines would urge them to present pretrip safety briefings that direct passengers to use seat belts where required by law and strongly encourage passengers to use seat belts where not required by law, and encourage passengers to use properly adjusted head restraints. The NLA issued a member bulletin informing its membership of our recommendations and specifically recommending all members implement, if they have not already done so, a standard passenger safety briefing prior to the commencement of each trip, in which the driver informs passengers of the location of safety restraint belts, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and emergency exits.


  • In January, the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration (GHSA) released a report citing no progress on reducing speeding-related traffic deaths. The report outlines recommendations to reduce speeding, including countermeasures in line with NTSB safety recommendations from our 2017 report, Reducing Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles. In April, the NTSB participated in the GHSA/Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Speeding Forum to illuminate the issues of speeding and develop strategies to address this challenge, which continues to factor into nearly one‑third of traffic fatalities each year in the United States. The forum gathered a diverse group of stakeholders to identify promising approaches to reduce speeding, prevent crashes, and save lives. 


  • The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General announced on Feb. 20 that it has initiated an audit of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) medical certification program. Ensuring the safety of our nation’s roads requires addressing the increase in fatalities involving large trucks and buses, it said, which includes ensuring that commercial drivers maintain a valid medical certificate. The audit will include a review of the FMCSA’s oversight processes and controls for the medical certificate program and the quality of data submitted to the medical certificate database. 


  • On February 15, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a status update regarding railroads’ self-reported progress toward fully implementing positive train control (PTC) systems as of December 31, 2018. According to the FRA, all required railroads either met the December 31, 2018, statutory deadline for implementing PTC systems, or submitted requests demonstrating they met or exceeded the statutory criteria for an alternative schedule provided for by law, permitting up to 2 additional years to complete full implementation. Although some of the affected railroads have PTC active, it is not active on all sub-divisions that require PTC. Additionally, the NTSB believes extensions do not protect any trains or people, although the criteria to receive an extension includes installing equipment both on the wayside and in locomotives. However, until PTC is in full operation, actively protecting people, the next PTC-preventable accident can still happen tomorrow.
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