Safety

November 16, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Motorcoach Safety Action Plan which lays out concrete steps for improving motorcoach safety across the board. The action plan addresses major safety issues such as driver fatigue and inattention, vehicle rollover, occupant ejections and oversight of unsafe carriers.

"We are committed to making sure that bus travelers reach their destinations safely," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "These improvements will not only help reduce the number of motorcoach crashes, it will also help save lives and reduce injuries."    » read more »

New Law Requires Post-Trip Inspections, Two-Way Radios

November 17, 2009 -- CHICAGO - November 17, 2009 -- Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that will significantly improve the safety of Illinois’ students riding school buses.

The law amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to require all school bus drivers conduct comprehensive posttrip inspections to ensure that children, and other passengers, are not left unattended on a bus. The new law also requires all school buses be equipped with two-way radio systems designed to alert drivers to incoming communications, requests or alerts from school districts or emergency service providers.    » read more »

New requirement to win is good rating for protection in rollovers

ARLINGTON, VA — Nineteen cars and 8 SUVs earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award for 2010 For the first time, good performance in a roof strength test to measure protection in a rollover is required to win. Top Safety Pick recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rear, and now rollover crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests.

Winners also must have electronic stability control, which research shows significantly reduces crash risk. This is the second time the Institute has tightened criteria since announcing the first recipients in 2005.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Motorcoach Safety Action Plan which lays out concrete steps for improving motorcoach safety across the board. The action plan addresses major safety issues such as driver fatigue and inattention, vehicle rollover, occupant ejections and oversight of unsafe carriers.

“We are committed to making sure that bus travelers reach their destinations safely,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These improvements will not only help reduce the number of motorcoach crashes, it will also help save lives and reduce injuries.”    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/16/2009 - One in four (26%) of American teens of driving age say they have texted while driving, and half (48%) of all teens ages 12 to 17 say they’ve been a passenger while a driver has texted behind the wheel.

These findings form the centerpiece of a new report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project that looks at teens, mobile phones and distracted driving. The report is based on a telephone survey of 800 teens ages 12-17 and a parent or guardian as well as 9 focus groups with middle and high school students.

Boys and girls are equally likely to report texting behind the wheel as well as riding with texting drivers. As teens get older, they are more likely to report riding with drivers who text.    » read more »

Chemical Used in Countless Products Including Baby Bottles, Canned Formula and Canned Food

November 13, 2009 -- On the heels of a new Consumer Reports’ study showing that the toxic chemical bisphenol-A is now in a wider range of products used and consumed by children and in higher concentrations than previously thought, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today unveiled his legislation that bans BPA in food and beverage containers marketed to kids aged three and under.    » read more »

Preparing For A Safe And Easy Thanksgiving Dinner - One Day At A Time

WASHINGTON, November 10, 2009 – Preparing Thanksgiving dinner can be a wonderful experience, yet daunting for those planning it. The goal is to have a safe and delicious turkey dinner, and if planned one day at a time, it can be a fun and memorable experience.    » read more »

Ensures University Laboratories Are Not Burdened by Regulations Intended for Commercial Facilities

Washington, Nov 6 - Today, Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14) offered an amendment to the Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009 with Rep. Ben Lujan (NM-3) that would require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to create and report a plan of precaution and prevention to accompany normal campus procedures, instead of subjecting academic laboratory facilities to the same regulations as large commercial facilities. The amendment was accepted into the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act, which passed by a vote of 230-193.    » read more »

Legislation Includes Rep Clarke’s Grant Program to Train Workers and First Responders in Security Methods

November 6, 2009 -- Washington DC- Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2868, the “Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009” with a vote of 230 to193. Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement:

“This week, the House passed H.R. 2868, the ‘Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009.’ I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 2868 because it strengthens existing chemical facility regulations (CFATS). When chemical companies don’t follow their own sector’s ‘best practices,’ they put their frontline workers and my constituents at great risk. That is why I am a strong advocate for provisions in the bill that require:    » read more »

November 04, 2009 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a statement today correcting inaccurate and misleading information put out by Toyota concerning a safety recall involving 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles:    » read more »

November 4, 2009 -- Washington DC – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced Wednesday that they are launching a joint effort to evaluate technologies that may help curb the dangerous epidemic of distracted driving.

The DOT-FCC partnership will also include outreach efforts to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving, talking on cell phones while driving, and other distracting behavior that can lead to deadly accidents.    » read more »

Oct. 28, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- Data from NASA's National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service (NAOMS) project, a survey administered to pilots in order to track safety-related incidents during air travel, should not be used to measure rates or trends in safety in the National Airspace System, says a new report from the National Research Council. Deficiencies in several aspects of the survey design make the data gathered unreliable.    » read more »

Expedite Mine Permits Issuance

November 03, 2009 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear today announced that he has approved an increase in the number of mine inspectors and the number of mining permit reviewers in the Energy and Environment Cabinet. Speaking with miners and local officials at three stops in eastern Kentucky today, the Governor said making sure Kentucky coal miners are safe must be a priority.

“The addition of 15 mine inspectors in the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing will not only help with our efforts to complete the number of required inspections, but will also enhance our nationally recognized mine rescue team capabilities and response,” said Gov. Beshear.    » read more »

10/29/09 -- Today Congressman Tim Bishop made the following statement at a Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on the Problem of Distracted Driving:

It is the responsibility of this committee to ensure that our nation’s roadways are not only up to the task of connecting our communities and promoting commerce, but also with protecting the safety of American’s, both directly and indirectly involved with transportation.    » read more »

Bloomington, IL.– October 30, 2009 – State Farm applauds Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) for sponsoring the Distracted Driving Prevention Act of 2009. The company said this legislation (S. 1938) is a good first step toward addressing the problem of distracted driving and its threat to the lives and safety of millions of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.    » read more »