PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS: PROTECTION NEEDED FOR A HIGH-RISK OCCUPATION

"On the job" motor vehicle deaths number more than 4,000 annually in the U.S. and comprise nearly on-third of all work-related deaths. Yet the Department of Labor has set no standards relating to on- the-road safety of the millions of workers whose jobs entail large amounts of driving, the Department of Transportation standards affecting occupational safety cover only drivers in interstate commerce. Drivers of some commercial vehicles, such as heavy trucks, are at special risk of injury because trucks have usually been exempted for many years from federal motor vehicle safety standards - such as standards for brakes and seatbelts - designed to prevent crashes or protect occupants in crashes. Observations based on a series of 150 fatal crashes involving tractor trailers illustrate the need for better protection of this large population of high-risk workers. Clarification of responsibility within the various federal agencies and application of available knowledge and technology are essential. /Author/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00900036
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and by the Maryland Medical-Legal Foundation; and it was presented at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Chicago, Illinois, November, 1975.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Public Health Association

  1740 Broadway
  New York, NY  United States  10019
• Authors:
  • Baker, S P
  • Wong, Jianhui
  • Baron, R D
• Publication Date: 1976-7

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 649-654
• Serial:
  • American Journal of Public Health
  • Volume: 66
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: American Public Health Association
  • ISSN: 0090-0036
  • EISSN: 1541-0048
  • Serial URL: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/loi/ajph

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commercial vehicles; Drivers; Fatalities; Hazards; Jobs; Occupational safety; Prevention; Risk assessment; Safety; Standards; Tractor trailer combinations
• Subject Areas: Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00141775
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1977 12:00AM