Transportation

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program has enhanced federal efforts to improve safety in the commercial truck and bus industries, concludes a study released Feb. 5 by the government’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.

Washington – On-duty pilots are now prohibited from using personal electronic devices in the cockpit, according to a Federal Aviation Administration final rule announced Feb. 11.

Atlanta – A downward trend in child fatalities in motor vehicle crashes can be further improved if every child is safely restrained, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boston – Eating a Mediterranean-style diet may help improve the heart health of young workers, according to a new study from Harvard University and Cambridge Health Alliance.

Washington – A new special issue of the Journal of Safety Research features research projects from the 2011 National Occupational Injury Research Symposium.

Arlington, VA – A new voluntary consensus standard for determining whether personal protective equipment meets performance standards has been approved by the American National Standards Institute.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should revise its process for predicting which commercial truck and bus carriers have the highest risk of crashes, the Government Accountability Office has recommended after completing an audit of the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

Washington – Rest breaks used to “restart” truck drivers’ duty cycles are more effective at reducing fatigue when they include two periods of nighttime sleep, according to a study released Jan. 30 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Washington – Systems that help passenger vehicles avoid crashes by “talking” to each other will someday be a requirement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Feb. 3.

Washington – The rate of safety belt use for passenger vehicle occupants in 2013 was 87 percent – statistically unchanged from 86 percent in 2012, according to a recent study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.