Teh report stated the semi driver failed to react to a minor accident that had caused a back up on Interstate 44 in Miami, OK.  His multi-ton tractor-trailer going 69 mph then struck an SUV, the last vehicle at the back of the line of stopped cars.  The semi went up over several other vehicles and landed about 270 feet from where he struck the SUV.  Ten passengers in the vehicles struck from behind were killed, 5 received injuries ranging from minor to serious, and the driver of the semi was seriously injured.

As a result of the investigation, the NTSB has identified several driver fatigue safety issues involving tractor-trailer drivers that need to be addressed:

the need for updated and comprehensive fatigue education materials and fatiguemanagement programs; significance of heavy vehicle collision forces in crashes with smaller vehicles; lack of federal requirements for data and vehicle event recorders on commercial vehicles; and lack of federal requirements for forward collision warning systems.

Unfortunately the NTSB has no authority to make rules or set safety standards.  It is up to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSB) to set the safety standards for commercial vehicles.  This safety report issued 9 new recommendations, but they had made 6 of the recommendations in previous reports but they have not been acted upon.

When you are talking about a 10,000 pound vehicle travelling in excess of 65 miles per hour, it seems to me that NHTSA should be reacting more quickly to all safety recommendations from the NTSB.  Afterall, the safety of us travelling the highways along side these big rigs is at stake.

to prohibit or restrict the use of unsafe electronic devices, for talking, texting and other purposes, by operators of commercial motor vehicles, such as tractor trailers, motorcoach buses, and large vans.

The petition, which was submitted to the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), asks officials to immediately review the use all hand held electronic devises such as cell phones, blackberries, pda’s, and portable dvds by drivers of commercial vehicles and if they in fact pose a threat to safety on our highways.  If it is determined that use of these devices while driving commercial vehicles (and I can’t see that they would not), then the Advocates want an infraction of any new rules would be an Out of Service violation.

Accoring to Jacquiline Gillan, vice president of Advocates,

“Driver distraction is a serious and growing safety problem. If safety is indeed our nation’s number one transportation priority, now is the time for FMCSA to act to stem the rising tide of distracted driving crashes, deaths and injuries.”

The petition cited the fact that while commercial trucks represent only a small percentage of the vehicles on the highway(3%),  commercial truck accidents are the cause of 12% of all highway fatalities.  It only makes sense that we don’t want to increase this percentage by allowing them to use electronic devises while driving a 80,000 pound (40 ton!) vehicle at 65 miles per hour.

The bus was carrying 21 middle and North Marion County High School students.  Florida Highway Patrol credits the drivers of passing vehicles with saving the lives of the other 20 students.  Of those 20 students, nine were taken to local hospitals, two with critical injuries. 

Witnesses said there were at least 4 by-standers who helped take the students from the burning bus.  For one of them it must have been very difficult as he said he tried to free the 13 year-old but was unable to save her. 

The semi carrying the coins was headed to the Federal Reserve Bank in Miami on route from the Federal Mint when it ran into the back of another semi on I-95.  The truck with the coins flipped on its side strewing the coins all over the highway.  The one that was rear-ended hit a guard rail.

The interstate was shut down for several hours while the accident was investigated and Florida Highway Patrol supervised the clean-up of the nickels.