Date/Time | Presenter/Affiliation | Description/Duration |
| 6/3/2009 12:00 p.m. eastern | Martin Walker
Research Division | Driver Distraction in Commercial Vehicle Operations - Preliminary Results
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of driver distraction in commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operations. To accomplish this, data from two large-scale naturalistic studies were combined creating a data set that included over 200 CMV drivers and seven trucking fleets operating at 16 locations, accounting for approximately 3 million miles of continuous driving. Naturalistic data collection involves the instrumentation of in-service trucks with kinematic sensors, video cameras, and other equipment. CMV drivers use these equipped trucks while they operate their normal revenue-producing runs. A total of 4,452 safety-critical events (i.e., crashes, near-crashes, crash-relevant conflicts, and unintended lane deviations) were identified in the data set, along with 19,888 baseline (non-event) epochs. Key findings were that highly complex tasks, including those involving the use of technology while driving, lead to a significant increase in risk. Eye glance analyses were also conducted to examine driver eye location while performing tasks while driving. Tasks associated with high odds ratios (increased risk) were also associated with high eyes off forward road times. Based on the results of the analyses, a number of recommendations are presented that may help address the issue of driver distraction in CMV operations.
60 minutes |
| 5/13/2009 12:00 p.m. eastern | Michael Johnsen
Technology Division | Overview of FMCSA Technology Division Studies and Projects
The mission of FMCSA’s technology program is to adopt, develop, test and deploy simple and advanced integrated information technology solutions and innovative on-board commercial vehicle, driver, and roadside technologies. In this webinar, Acting Technology Division Chief Michael Johnsen and members of the Technology Division team will present an overview and answer questions regarding current activities the Division is working on which improve safety and security, save lives, and prevent serious injury by reducing the number and severity of commercial motor vehicle crashes. Check it out!
60 minutes |
| 4/8/2009 11:00 a.m. eastern | Martin Walker
Research Division | Overview of FMCSA Research Division Programs and Studies
FMCSA's Research Division helps FMCSA to reduce large truck and bus crashes, injuries, and fatalities through a program that contributes to a safe and secure commercial transportation system. This is accomplished by expanding the knowledge and portfolio of deployable technologies and innovations through systematic studies directed toward fuller scientific discovery, knowledge, or understanding. This webinar provides a unique opportunity for members of the public to get an update from Dr. Martin Walker, Research Division Chief and other members of the Research Division on the latest studies for testing and deploying innovative driver, carrier, vehicle, and roadside best practices and technologies. Questions will also be taken at the end of the webinar. Don’t miss this chance to find out more about FMCSA research!
60 minutes |
| 3/24/2009 1:00 p.m. eastern | Bill Bannister
Analysis Division | Overview of FMCSA Analysis Division Projects and Programs
This webinar will feature an update on the FMSCA Analysis Division, which provides the transportation industry and the public with analytical reports on trends, costs, and fatalities and injuries in large truck and bus crashes. The Division also monitors data quality to ensure an accurate measurement of safety performance and prepares all the economic and environmental analyses for FMCSA's significant rulemakings to ensure changes to motor carrier regulations are based on sound analysis and data. Don’t miss this chance to hear Analysis Division Chief Bill Bannister and members of the Analysis Division team give an overview and answer questions about current projects and programs
60 minutes |
| 3/11/2009 11:00 a.m. eastern | Ralph Craft
Analysis Division | FMCSA Truck and Bus Crash Facts
Truck and bus crash trends over the past 10 years indicate that fatalities in large truck crashes have consistently declined during this period despite an increase of the number of large trucks on our Nation’s highways. Speaker Dr. Ralph Craft has managed the Large Truck Crash Causation Study since its beginning in 2000. His dynamic presentation includes the number of truck crashes, fatalities, crash rates, truck types, crash types, and limited data on non-truck crashes, and he will take questions from the audience at the end. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about truck and bus crash trends over the past 10 years!
60 minutes |
| 3/2/2009 1:00 p.m. eastern | Quon Kwan,Technology Division
/ Phil Liggins
Lewis-Clark State College Motor Safety Training Center | Use of a Skid Pad for Training Truck Drivers: The Lewis-Clark State College Project
FMCSA issued a grant to fund the development of a driving track known as a skid pad at the Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) North Lewiston Training Facility in Idaho. The recently-completed skid pad—a paved surface for exercising driving maneuvers involving skidding, jack knifing, and other forms of loss of control of a vehicle—provides a cost-effective facility for hands-on training in accident avoidance maneuvers. In this webinar, Phil Liggins, coordinator of the LCSC Motor Safety Training Center, will present details about the safety training for bus and commercial motor vehicle drivers that this facility offers through controlled “adverse” weather situations, including ice and rain, as well as faulty braking systems, tire blowouts and anti-skid equipment failure. This is the only training facility of its type in the Northwest.
90 minutes |
| 11/25/2008 1:00 p.m. eastern | Julie Lane
Technology Division | CVISN: Encouraging Motor Carrier Participation and Outreach by States
FMCSA has carefully tracked the deployment of the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems & Networks (CVISN) program in all States and has learned about the benefits of CVISN e-credentialing and state-based e-screening for both States and motor carriers. This webinar will address how States can reach out to and encourage motor carriers to use CVISN-related systems. Julie Lane of the ART Technology Division will highlight the benefits of CVISN for States and motor carriers and illustrate the successes some States have experienced. Suggested messages and delivery mechanisms that have proven successful for States in the past will be presented as examples of communications tools other States can use to expand their own programs.
60 minutes |
| 11/20/2008 1:00 p.m. eastern | Betsy Benkowski
Analysis Division | Safety Data Improvement Program Grant Funding for 2009
Funding for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Safety Data Improvement Program is available to help States improve the accuracy, timeliness, and quality of their traffic safety records, with an emphasis on improving large truck and bus data reported to FMCSA. High-quality, timely data in each of these areas are crucial to FMCSA’s mission of improving commercial motor vehicle safety in the U.S. Participants will learn where to locate the full application and instructions for how to apply using Grants.gov.
90 minutes |
| 10/29/2008 1:00 p.m. eastern | Chris Flanigan
Technology Division | Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Initiative
The goal of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) initiative is to demonstrate technologies needed to equip both light vehicles and heavy trucks with advanced driver assistance systems designed to help drivers avoid the most common types of deadly crashes: forward collision, lane change/merge, and road departure. Its purpose is to develop information on how best to communicate warnings from an integrated system covering multiple hazards to the driver. To this end, objective tests and criteria for performance of systems that simultaneously address the three crash modes have been developed. A field test of an integrated system in ten heavy trucks to determine both the safety benefits of the system and driver behavior/acceptance will soon begin. In this webinar, Chris Flanigan of the ART Technology Division will give an overview of the heavy truck portion of the IVBSS program.
90 minutes |
| 10/15/2008 1:00 p.m. eastern | Dr. Ron Knipling
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute | Large Truck Crash Causation Study Combination-Unit and Single-Unit Truck Crash Statistics
Data from the Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) were used to compare the crashes involving Combination-Unit Trucks (CUTs) to those of Single-Unit Trucks (SUTs). Forty-four variables relating to crash characteristics, conditions of occurrence, key causal variables, and associated factors, including those relating to driver fatigue and Hours-of-Service, were examined. In this webinar, Dr. Ron Knipling of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute will discuss how the LTCCS statistics were disaggregated and analyzed. He will provide details about the results which indicate CUT and SUT crashes were more similar than different, and that crash characteristics had stronger associations with causality than did vehicle type.
90 minutes |
