NTSB to Release Report Detailing Brake Pedal Misapplication

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board will release results from its investigation into a May 9, 2005, crash of a Liberty, Mo., school bus into two cars stopped at an intersection that is expected to show that the school bus driver stepped on the gas instead of the brake pedal.

The two drivers of the other cars were killed and at least two students on board the school bus suffered life altering injuries after they were thrown head first into the seat guard at the front of the bus. The crash resulted in lawsuits against the school district, the bus manufacturer and dealer, the brake company, and the company that serviced the school bus electrical system after the driver blamed the crash on a loss of braking power. The driver was also named in the suit.

But NTSB's findings are expected to point solely to driver error. Says NTSB's Web site:

During the course of the investigation, information was uncovered that suggested pedal misapplication as a factor in the accident. The NTSB subsequently investigated four additional accidents involving heavy vehicles, dating from 2005 to 2008, in which pedal misapplication was determined to be a factor. The report examines pedal misapplication through the analysis of these five accidents and information gathered from previous work on unintended acceleration incidents. The report evaluates the benefits of brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) devices, pedal design, positive separation, and event data recorders to determine if they are effective in preventing accidents and whether further preventive measures or actions are needed.

The hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m. EDT in Washington, D.C. The proceedings will be broadcast online.

TRB to Enter the Social Networking Age with New Web Site

The Transportation Research Board regularly publishes the latest research from throughout the transportation industry, both on the state and federal level, and has established dozens of committees to review operational and safety elements in the different modes, including transit and school transportation.

The board announced that in addition to recent upgrades it has made in sending updates to members and other interested parties via email, it will also soon launch a redesigned Web site. TRB said users will more easily find TRB news, announcements, and publications based on more than 35 different transportation subject areas. The new site will also highlight selected transportation research-related products that have been developed at the federal and state levels, and within the academic and international transportation communities.

The function STN editors are most looking forward to is the new RSS feed. Plus TRB will soon be on Facebook and Twitter.

LaHood Announces Summit on Distracted Driving

By Lisa Hudson

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday he intends to gather senior transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, members of Congress and academics who study distracted driving for a September 2009 summit in Washington, D.C. to discuss ideas about how to combat distracted driving.

Developments and updates on the upcoming summit are available from the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) website. You also can get developments on Twitter.

“If it were up to me, I would ban drivers from texting, but unfortunately, laws aren’t always enough,” said Sec. LaHood in a statement. “We’ve learned from past safety awareness campaigns that it takes a coordinated strategy combining education and enforcement to get results. That’s why this meeting with experienced officials, experts and law enforcement will be such a crucial first step in our efforts to put an end to distracted driving.”