What Is the Department of Transportation (DOT)?
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is the federal agency responsible for planning and coordinating federal transportation projects and setting safety regulations for all modes of transportation in the United States.
According to the official description, DOT’s mission is to “Ensure our Nation has the safest, most efficient, and modern transportation system in the world, which improves the quality of life for all American people and communities, from rural to urban, and increases the productivity and competitiveness of American workers and businesses.” The DOT plays a crucial role in setting and enforcing regulations that affect transportation safety, infrastructure development, and environmental sustainability.
DOT’s main activities include funding infrastructure projects, conducting research to improve transportation systems, and implementing policies to enhance safety and accessibility. It also addresses issues such as traffic management, vehicle safety standards, and the environmental impact of transportation. Understanding the Department of Transportation is critical to comprehending how federal policy influences the everyday movement of people and goods, shaping economic development and public safety nationwide.
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GM Fined $35 Million for Recall Delay
GM will pay the maximum $35 million fine to the United States Department of Transportation for delays in the recall of cars with defective ignition switches. The defect has been linked to 13 deaths and 32 crashes.
The fine is the highest civil penalty ever paid as a result of an investigation into recall problems by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In a released statement, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said that the GM has also agreed to make “significant and wide-ranging internal changes” in how it monitors safety issues.
The DOT reported that GM will need to take part in unprecedented oversight requirements as a result of the findings form the NHTSA’s timeliness investigation regarding the Chevy Cobalt and the automakers’ failure to report a safety defect in a more timely manner.
Federal law requires that all auto manufacturers must notify the NHTSA within five business days of determining that a safety-related defect exists. […]
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Are Stricter Penalties Needed to Keep Truck Drivers Focused on the Road? A Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyer Weighs In.
An investigation by an ABC news station in New York over a three-week period found that truck drivers on some of New York’s busiest highways are texting or talking on their cell phones while driving.
The investigative reporter said that the hidden camera investigation caught “truck drivers routinely, illegally and dangerously texting and talking on phones.” One camera caught a truck driver and his co-workers, all in the front seat, with all with eyes, including the drivers, focused on a cell phone. On another highway, a truck driver was filmed using two phones simultaneously while driving.
According to Eyewitness News 7 in New York, the Department of Transportation says that last year nearly 16,000 truckers were ticketed for using their cell phone, but only 4 of those were suspended and taken out of service. Eyewitness news referred to this as an epidemic and deadly problem. […]
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Motorcycle accident deaths increase 3rd year in a row
Motorcycle rider fatalities increased for the third consecutive year in 2012, up more than 7% over 2011, while motorcyclist injuries rose 15% to 93,000. A shocking 42% of the reported fatalities involved unhelmeted motorcyclists. These figures were released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) in its Quick Facts 2012 report, which was released last month.
A study released by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reported that a better economy and higher gas prices mean more motorcycle riders on the road and fewer states with helmet laws means more fatalities. The Governors study mentioned several reasons for the high motorcyclist fatality rate, which accounted for about 14% of all traffic fatalities, including lack of helmet laws, alcohol use and speeding.
The NHTSA reported that motorcyclist fatalities accounted for 15% of the total fatalities for the year. There were 10 times as many unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities in states without universal helmet laws in 2012, […]
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Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer talks about proposed new safety measures for children traveling in passenger vehicles
Accidental injury is the leading cause of child death in the United States, according to Matthew R. Maltese, head of biomechanics research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States.
In 2011, more than 650 children ages 12 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes and more than 148,000 were injured. Of the children who died in a crash in 2011, 33% were not bucked up. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health Pennsylvania 2012 Child Death Review Annual Report, motor vehicle and other transport deaths accounted for 12% of total child deaths in Pennsylvania in 2011.
Many of these deaths could have been prevented. An NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Research Study found that 72% of nearly 3,500 observed car and booster seats were misused in a way that could be expected to increase a child’s risk of injury during a crash. […]
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Car Runs Into House in Lancaster County
Driver falls asleep at the wheel and crashes into home
Not all car crashes in Pennsylvania involve one motor vehicle colliding with another. Some wrecks are the result of rollovers and other single-vehicle accidents. Other times, automobiles crash into fixed objects – like a house.
A case in point happened February 16 in Lancaster County, when a passenger car smashed through the wall of a private home in East Earl Township. A resident inside was knocked from the couch where he had been sleeping. He suffered minor injuries.
The accident occurred in the early morning hours. The driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel, and police are investigating whether alcohol was a contributing factor.
There were 121,312 traffic crashes in Pennsylvania in 2010, according to reports filed with the state Department of Transportation. These wrecks claimed the lives of 1,324 people and injured another 87,949 people. […]
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