Security & Safety Briefs - May 25 - June 1
The Latest Headlines:
- TSA Begins Hazmat Fingerprinting
- States Scrapping Highway Call Boxes, Paper Says
- U.S. Reportedly Considering International ID Standard
- Study: Many Automobile Drivers Lack Basic Skills
- Group Formed to Certify Transportation Medical Examiners
- States Scrapping Highway Call Boxes, Paper Says
TSA Begins Hazmat Fingerprinting
The Transportation Security Administration said it began the third and final phase of its Hazmat Threat Assessment Program Tuesday with the fingerprinting of commercial truck drivers applying to renew or transfer hazardous materials endorsements on their commercial driver's licenses.In the program's first phase, TSA conducted name-based security threat assessments on the 2.7 million licensed hazmat drivers.
Phase two added a fingerprint-based FBI criminal history records check and immigration status check for new applicants.
States Scrapping Highway Call Boxes, Paper Says
Highway call boxes are becoming fewer and farther in between, a result of high maintenance costs and the prevalence of cellular phones, USA Today reported Tuesday.Rhode Island did away with 284 call boxes last year, after costs rose to about $7,000 per call, the paper said.
Pennsylvania scrapped 102 boxes in Interstate 81 last year and Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts and New Jersey are also considering removing the boxes, the paper reported.
Some transportation officials said the boxes remained necessary, including the 1,038 on toll roads in the Pennsylvania Turnpike system, the paper said. Transport Topics
U.S. Reportedly Considering International ID Standard
The U.S. government wants Britain's proposed identity cards to use the same technology and microchips as those used on American documents, a British newspaper reported.U.S. Department of ϳԹland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has already had talks with his British counterparts on the matter, the Independent newspaper reported in its Friday online edition.
The goal of using the same technology is to ensure compatibility in screening terrorist suspects, but it will also mean information contained in British ID cards could be accessed by U.S. officials, the Independent said.
he paper reported Chertoff said it was vital to seek compatibility among various forms of international identification. Transport Topics
Nation's Most Knowledgeable Drivers in Oregon, Least Knowledgeable in Rhode Island
Study: Many Automobile Drivers Lack Basic Skills
Millions of Americans lack basic knowledge of rules of the road and safe automobile operation, according to an insurance study released Thursday.The inaugural GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test examined the driving habits of about 5,000 licensed drivers nationwide between the ages of 16 and 65.
GMAC said the study found that about one in ten drivers — nearly 20 million Americans — would fail a state drivers test.
The results suggest that many Americans find standard driving practices vexing, including merging, failure to yield when making left turns and road-sign interpretation. Many drivers also may not take such important topics as drinking and driving seriously enough, it said. Transport Topics
Group Formed to Certify Transportation Medical Examiners
Members of the medical, transportation and safety communities have joined to establish the non-profit National Academy of DOT Medical Examiners, or NADME.According to a press release by the group, NADME’s purpose is to “promote the quality of professional knowledge and skills of medical practitioners and other individuals who perform or assist in the performance of medical examinations to determine the physical qualification of drivers of commercial motor vehicles subject to the regulations of the federal Department of Transportation, state agencies, and/or the laws of foreign jurisdictions including Canada and Mexico.”
Former Truckload Carriers Assn. president Bob Hirsch is the president of NADME.
The group said it will initially focus on providing national standards and training materials to medical practitioners to ensure they understand what is necessary for a driver to be "physically qualified,” administering a standardized examination to certify the proficiency of individual medical practitioners and compiling a registry of certified medical examiners. Transport Topics