Who is at the Wheel?

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:40:50 +0000

There is no person in this country whose life is not in some way affected by the interstate system. From work commutes to the fruits and vegetables found in every grocery store, the interstate is vital for our way of life. Just about everyone has driven the interstate next to those huge semis and other large commercial trucks. This means that absolutely everyone of us is at risk.According to the most recent safety study, the Associated Press claims that “Hundred of thousands of drivers carry commercial licenses even though they qualify for full federal disability payments”[1]. If one wished to look through the Transportation Department’s data from 2006 (the latest available) truckers have been caught violating federal medical rules in every state. Not only that, but a federal safety study from last year concluded that physically impaired truckers were a leading cause of serious crashes.Scare tactics are not necessary here. We have all imagined that huge behemoth of the roadways veering into our traffic lane. We have seen the wrecks in the deep medians of the highway. And while sleep deprivation has been identified as a threat to our safety and our lives, this news of disabled drivers at the wheel is exactly that: News.The AP study found that 563,000 commercial drivers are eligible for full disability benefits because of health problems. This has come from the Labor Department, Social Security, and yes, the Veterans Affairs Department.Now, qualifying for disability benefits doesn’t automatically make one incapable of driving. There is nothing wrong with men and women trying to earn a living after being disabled by age, accident, or war. In fact, it is commendable. But when over a thousand truckers have vision, hearing, or seizure disorders which should prevent them from obtaining a commercial license, one has to wonder what is going on.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is given the task of regulating this crucial aspect of our daily lives, as befits their title. And yet, this agency acknowledges that they haven’t completed any of the eight recommendations proposed by the National Transportation Safety Board in 2001. Let me repeat that. In seven years, the agency whose only task is to prevent this kind of News hasn’t completed a single goal.

You might be wondering what these eight proposals are about, and how are they going to fix the problem. I will be examing these eight proposals over the next few days.

[1] Yen, Hope and Frank Bass, “Thousand of bus and truck drivers qualify for disability” Star-Telegram.com 22 Jul. 2008., Nation ed.

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Who is at the Wheel?