FMCSA's Truck Safety Agenda Strong on Active Safety Systems
IVsource.net
30 April 2001

Presented here is a brief review of the US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's strategy paper for 2010, published recently for industry input.  Everything revolves around their ambitious safety goals:  reducing injuries related to heavy truck crashes by 20% by 2008, and reducing fatalities by 50% over the next ten years.

The still-young Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at the USDOT isn't showing any shyness in stepping up to its mission.  They have set two key goals -- reducing injuries related to heavy truck crashes by 20% by FY08, and reducing heavy-truck-related fatalities by 50% over the next ten years -- and seem serious about pursuing them.

Another key focus for FMCSA, as stipulated by Congress, is to "improve research efforts to enhance and promote commercial motor vehicle, operator, and carrier safety and performance."  Their approach to fulfilling these goals is detailed in a draft strategic plan published on the internet for comment earlier this year.  The full document can be downloaded at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/pdfs/2010strategy_draft.pdf.

As stated in the strategy document, FMCSA's vision is to "be the leader in truck and bus safety, innovation, and performance."  Their mission, as originally chartered, is to "save lives and reduce injuries by preventing truck and bus crashes."

A specific objective under their safety goal is to ensure that "all commercial motor vehicle drivers are fully qualified, safe, and healthy."  Elaboration on that objective proclaims that FMCSA will "deploy technologies to monitor driver condition and performance," as well as "advance research, testing and development of collision avoidance systems, the use of advanced sensors, and other enhancements, for visibility and lighting in particular, to existing vehicle systems."  It goes on to say that the agency will "encourage the deployment of these devices and systems by various means, including tax or other incentives to fleets for adopting these technologies."

Recognizing that a large portion of truck-related crashes are actually caused by passenger car drivers, another safety objective is to "improve the safety and performance of non-commercial drivers with respect to trucks."  Toward that objective, FMCSA aims to "accelerate the use of collision warning devices," and, in particular, "research and test devices in passenger cars that warn drivers who are in close proximity to a heavy truck of a possible collision.  We will encourage widespread use of this technology."

"Commercial motor vehicles have optimum safety performance" is another key objective mentioned, adding the following actions FMCSA will undertake:

• develop, test, and deploy systems that use on-board vehicle safety data to expedite and enhance roadside enforcement and safety;

• increase funding support and use incentives for research , testing, and greater use of technologies , including electronic or disc brakes and diagnostics and monitoring, that can improve performance and maintenance;

• support financial incentives that promote research, testing, and greater use of occupant protection technologies in the vehicle cab, and commercial vehicle designs that prevent/minimize the consequences of rollover;

• encourage testing/adoption of heavy truck designs that provide greater protection for passenger car drivers in side impact collisions with trucks; and

• promote the installation of electronic data recorders in CVs to provide more definitive information on driver actions and vehicle performance in crashes in order to improve understanding of crash factors.

At the ITS America Commercial Vehicle Operations committee meeting on April 10-12, John MacGowan, Office Director for Safety Technologies at FMCSA, reiterated the points above, giving special attention to working with passenger car drivers so that they drive "smarter" in the vicinity of heavy trucks, and also to the idea of tax incentives to fleets for adoption of safety technology.  He added that the administration's FY02 budget proposal is focused on evaluation of electronically controlled braking systems, drowsy driver countermeasures, and rear impact countermeasures.  Regarding crash data recorders, he noted that they are "studying the issue" and plan to hold a workshop on the topic later this year, inviting key industry players.