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STUDY * USA - Medically unfit truck drivers still on roads
Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also qualifying for full federal disability payments, and some of those drivers have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells
Washington,DCD,USA -AP, by HOPE YEN & FRANK BASS -21 July 2008: -- ... according to a new U.S. safety study obtained by The Associated Press... The problems threatening highway travelers persist despite years of government warnings and hundreds of deaths and injuries blamed on commercial truck and bus drivers who blacked out, collapsed or suffered major health problems behind the wheels of vehicles that can weigh 40 tons or more... The U.S. agency responsible for cracking down on unfit truckers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, acknowledges it hasn't completed any of eight recommendations that U.S. safety regulators have proposed since 2001. One would set minimum standards for officials who determine whether truckers are medically safe to drive. Another would prevent truckers from "doctor shopping" to find a physician who might overlook a risky health condition. It's unclear whether any of the eight recommendations will be done before President Bush leaves office... Truckers violating federal medical rules have been caught in every state, according to a review by the AP of 7.3 million commercial driver violations compiled by the Transportation Department in 2006, the latest data available. Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, New Jersey, Minnesota and Ohio were states where drivers were sanctioned most frequently for breaking medical rules, such as failing to carry a valid medical certificate. Those 12 states accounted for half of all such violations in the United States... Consider these cases: ... ... ... Some truckers said the government should enforce existing rules, not make new ones... Gary Hull, 52, a trucker for a Louisiana company, said most drivers are hard workers who earn a modest salary and cope with rising diesel prices. New regulations could add to costs and force truckers to evade the rules, he said... The 30-page GAO study, obtained by the AP in advance of its release later this week, said 563,000 commercial drivers were determined by the Veterans Affairs Department, Labor Department or Social Security Administration to also be eligible for full disability benefits over health issues. It said disability doesn't necessarily mean a driver is unfit to operate a commercial vehicle, but its investigators found alarming examples that raised doubts about the safety of the nation's highways. They identified more than 1,000 drivers with vision, hearing or seizure disorders, which generally would prohibit a trucker from obtaining a valid commercial license...
The chief safety officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Rose McMurray, acknowledged problems that could lead to unfit truck drivers on the roads. She blamed delays in reforms on a lack of federal money and difficulty coordinating with 50 states. McMurray said changes to strengthen the medical oversight program may not be done for months or even years... (AP Photos by Bill Haber - 1 · In this May 9, 1999 file photo, emergency workers remove the body of one of the victims of a bus wreck in New Orleans. A chartered bus carrying members of a casino club on a Mother's Day gambling excursion crashed killing 22 people. The National transportation Safety Board said the bus driver suffered life-threatening kidney and heart conditions but held a valid license and medical certificate. Moments before the crash, a passenger recounted seeing the driver slumped in his seat) (Photo below - 2 · In this May 11, 1999 file photo, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Larry Jackson holds a survey probe on the top of wrecked charter bus in New Orleans. Jackson and a team of NTSB personnel are investigating the bus wreck that killed 22 people. The NTSB later said the bus driver, Frank Bedell, 46, suffered life-threatening kidney and heart conditions but held a valid license and medical certificate. Moments before the crash, a passenger recounted seeing the driver slumped in his seat) Labels: drivers' health risks
posted by Unknown @ 9:47 PM
1 Comments:
If truckers imagined that their family was riding in their rig, would they choose differently whether to drive with their particular impairment? I appreciate the service that safe truck drivers provide in this country. I just don't want to have to pick through the nice clothes choices to put on my loved one for their funeral...
I lost my brother to a log truck driver on meth. No one should have to face this tragedy!
http://www.myspace.com/lauriesolheim
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