NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
January 18, 2000

NTSB PUBLIC HEARING ON NEW ORLEANS BUS CRASH AND COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE PROGRAM SET FOR JANUARY 20-21

Washington D.C. - The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a public hearing in New Orleans this month to review commercial driver oversight programs and evaluate their effectiveness in addressing driver qualifications and medical conditions.

The Safety Board will convene the hearing at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 20, 2000 at the DoubleTree Hotel, 300 Canal Street, New Orleans.

Commercial driver oversight has been highlighted in several recent investigations including the May 9 bus crash in which 22 people were killed and the medical condition of the driver was an issue. Also under investigation is the grade crossing accident involving an Amtrak train and a truck in Bourbonnais, Illinois, resulting in 11 deaths. In the Bourbonnais accident, commercial driver's license violations and administrative oversight are under review.

"When individuals board a commercial vehicle as a passenger or pass one in the next lane, they trust that the driver is in peak physical and mental condition, " NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said in announcing the hearing, "This hearing is to examine the driver safety oversight programs currently in place to ensure that Americans can take to the road with safety and confidence."

The hearing will begin with an update of the investigation into the May 9 Custom Bus accident outside of New Orleans in which the driver's medical condition was an issue. Other topics to be discussed include medical certification, driver's license issuance and revocation and the program's effectiveness in identifying and removing problem drivers. Federal and state officials, representatives from the truck and bus industry, and public advocacy groups, are expected to testify.

More information about this hearing are available on the News & Events page of the NTSB website, www.ntsb.gov.

Media contact: Lauren Peduzzi; will be available at the DoubleTree hotel in New Orleans (504) 581-1300 as of Wednesday, January 19.