The truck driver who plowed into a car near Lake Butler, Florida, on January 25 killing seven children in a fiery crash had little sleep in the 34 hours before the wreck, investigators revealed Friday.

"Except for a short nap, he was awake for 34 hours, but I'm not prepared to tell you whether or not he was exceeding the allowable hours of service," said David Rayburn, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator. . . .

Investigators were able to determine he had been awake for an inordinate amount of time by examining records and interviewing many people. . . .

No drugs or alcohol were found in Wilkerson's system, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper said.

[Via CNN.com - U.S.]

Details are yet to be released, but keep in mind that trucking companies are notorious for overworking their drivers to the point that they are a hazard to themselves and others on the road. The Bush administration actually tried to increase the number of hours that trucking companies can force workers to drive without rest.

For more on this issue, be sure to check out Public Citizen.

Posted by Robert Shull, 08:12:19 PM



Increased Safety Standards Save Lives
A new study has shown that lowering the height of SUVs by as little as half an inch and adding other safety features can cut the number of deaths of car passengers struck by SUVs by nearly 50 percent, saving 600 to 800 lives per year, if the standards are fully implemented. From the New York Times:

Regulators and auto makers began paying attention to S.U.V. collisions with cars in response to a 1997 series in The New York Times. Before then, regulators had done more than 2000 tests without ever crashing an S.U.V. into a car, while automakers said that they did not look at compatibility in crashes when designing vehicles.

Sales of S.U.V.'s and pickups were booming, but automakers soon faced pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which threatened to impose mandatory regulations if the industry did not act.

In a landmark agreement in 2003, 15 automakers from four nations agreed that by late 2009, all S.U.V.'s and pickups would either be lower to the ground or built with an energy-absorbing beam that fits under the front and rear bumpers.

Of course, the success is only partial. Tens of millions of older models are still on the road. NHTSA's failure to act sooner means car passengers will continue to face increased risk until these older models are phased out over time.

Posted by Genevieve Smith, 11:34:16 AM