AP says Medically Unfit Drivers on the Road
Posted on July 21, 2008
Filed Under DRIVER QUALIFICATION, IN THE NEWS
Here is a very long piece by the Associated Press detailing what they believe to be a major safety problem. To read the whole thing, go to the link. In summary, the article says that the FMCSA has dropped the ball by not writing more stringent regulations to prevent unhealthy truck drivers from driving. It then goes on to list a number of accidents where a physically unqualified driver may have been the cause.
For example, from the article, “George Albright Jr., 61, smashed his 70,000-pound tractor-trailer into congested traffic on Interstate 70 in June 2006, killing four women in a Ford sedan about 30 miles east of Columbia, Mo. Albright’s employer agreed earlier this year to pay $18 million in a settlement. A Missouri jury acquitted Albright this month on four counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter, after his lawyers argued in court that a diabetic episode “put him in an altered state of consciousness.” Albright wasn’t injured.”
The AP then quote a senior research director for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (AHOS), who states that, “we have a major public safety problem, and we haven’t corrected it”.
Wow! That sounds bad. But here’s the thing. We don’t have a major safety problem. Not at all. No one likes to bash the FMCSA more than I do. But they are not at fault on this issue. The fact is, the regulations as they exist now are perfectly adequate in providing a reasonable safeguard that drivers will not black out or otherwise lose control of their vehicles due to health reasons.
In nearly all of the examples cited by the AP, there is no proof that the accident was caused at all by a medical condition. Only, it ‘could have been caused’, or ‘might have been caused’. The fact is, the vast majority of accidents are caused by perfectly healthy drivers who screw up. Or perfectly healthy drivers who don’t get adequate rest, and fall asleep. That has nothing to do with the medical requirements.
Another thing the article references is a driver with a prosthetic device. FMCSA is stuck. On the one hand, the advocacy groups cry about drivers who may not be in top physical shape. On the other, we have the Americans with Disabilities Act, which says these same individuals must be treated the same as everyone else. So how can you deny the one-armed driver a living, when ADA says he has the right to a job?
FMCSA could certainly address these issues with more and more extensive regulations, adding 100 pages to the regulations, which is already over 600 pages long. The number of accidents caused by medically unqualified driver is statistically very small. The safety benefit provided by creating more regulations is not worth the extra burden.
At a certain point, you have to say ENOUGH when it comes to new regulations. There is a flip-side to new regulations. For example, by implementing an extensive new licensing program for DOT physicals, there will be consequences. Yes, it will probably eliminate a few accidents per year. And by few, I mean few, like less than 10. However, many drivers will probably be disqualified from driving, most of which are perfectly able and capable of driving. Doctors will simply err on the side of caution, and disqualify drivers who cough at the wrong time during the examiniation. Drivers will be forced to go to even more doctors and specialists to prove they are healthy enough to drive a truck. Drivers will be forced to hire lawyers, just so they can keep their jobs.
This is America, which used to be the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. In a free society, it is inherent that its citizens must accept some risk. That is what makes us free. If Congress and FMCSA truly wanted to eliminate all highway accidents, it could be done tomorrow. All vehicles would be governed at 15 MPH, and be required to have 2 feet of protective foam surrounding the vehicle. Boom, no more accidents. Of course, nothing would ever get done in this country, the price of everything would go up 10 times, we’d all lose our jobs, and a bunch of us would either starve or freeze to death, but at least there would be no more senseless deaths on the highways.
Bottomline: groups like AHOS and the Associated Press exist to drum up paranoia and fear. Just say NO!
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