Roemer Report – June 2006

DANGER ON THE HIGHWAYS: What’s the most dangerous place on the highway? It’s not the on-ramps or the exits; it’s the toll plazas, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). After a 2003 crash that killed eight people at an Illinois toll plaza, the NTSB investigated the accident and recommended that national design standards be set for toll plazas. Unlike drunken driving, seat belt usage, and air bag deployment—all of which have been studied and regulated—toll plaza safety has been largely ignored. “Toll plazas have been designed for 50 years without national design standards,” said an investigator for the NTSB. “The need for standards is paramount.” Consider that nearly half of all interstate accidents in Illinois are at toll plazas, and three times as many people die in them as in crashes on the highway. Likewise, 30 percent of all Pennsylvania accidents occur at toll plazas, and 38 percent of all crashes in New Jersey occur there. A Central Florida University associate professor says one key to preventing crashes at tollbooths is to separate drivers who have to stop from those who don’t. Also helpful would be more signs and lane markings that give drivers enough time to get into the proper lane. “It’s the mixture of E-PASS lanes and other lanes—the confusion from nonfamiliar drivers—that’s causing most of the rear-end collisions,” said the researcher. The Federal Highway Administration plans to complete a study on best practices for toll plazas this summer.

DIABETIC DRIVERS GET A SHOT AT DRIVING: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced that it plans to reconsider its regulations on diabetic drivers. Since the 1970s, those taking insulin have been prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce, and many have been forced to give up their CDLs once a diagnosis was made. The rationale was that insulin-taking diabetics are prone to episodes of low blood sugar, which puts them at risk for passing out behind the wheel. (Diabetics who regulate their disease through diet or non-insulin pills are not affected by the decades’ old ruling.) Although insulin-taking drivers have been able to apply for an exemption from the ban, getting one has proven difficult. From 2003 to 2005, the FMCSA granted only four exemptions. Now, under pressure from diabetes advocates who say the ban amounts to discrimination and is not scientifically sound, Congress told federal regulators to change the rules. Consequently, the FMCSA recently published a proposal that would grant waivers to drivers who show they can drive safely. A diabetes expert at Johns Hopkins Hospital supports the measure. “Everyone ought to be evaluated on their own merits individually,” says Dr. Christopher Saudek. “I think there should not be blanket discrimination.” Saudek notes that no evidence suggests people taking insulin are more likely to have crashes than others, and that doctors can easily identify the small percentage of diabetics who have severe drops in blood sugar, which could affect their driving. Comments on the proposed ruling (docket number FMCSA 2005-23151) can be submitted to the Department of Transportation until June 15.

FUEL PRICES AT HISTORICAL HIGHS: The American Trucking Associations (ATA) revised its estimate of 2006 fuel costs for the trucking industry. The lobbying group recently predicted the industry will spend $98.3 billion on fuel this year—a $10.6 billion increase over the amount spent last year and roughly double what it cost three years ago. Bill Graves, ATA president and CEO, said trucking is currently faced with the highest fuel prices in history. Fuel represents the second-highest operating expense for many motor carriers, and accounts for about 25 percent of total operating costs. At the annual Utah Trucking Association conference last month, Graves said the failure of many independent trucking companies is a direct result of rising fuel costs. Fuel expenses could become even more burdensome this summer when refineries begin pumping ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, required for diesel engines. The ultra-low diesel fuel costs more to refine and distribute than today’s diesel fuel. ATA supports long-term strategies that would increase diesel fuel supply, such as increasing refining capacity, using biodiesel blends as part of the national diesel fuel standard, and drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

FATIGUE UNDERRATED: Driver drowsiness and inattentiveness play a much bigger role in highway accidents than originally thought, according to a federal study. The yearlong study tracked drivers in 100 vehicles that were equipped with cameras and sensors to monitor driver behavior. During 2 million miles of travel, cameras caught 82 crashes, 761 near-crashes, and 8,295 “critical incidents,” such as sudden braking or swerving. Cameras recorded drivers changing shirts, flossing their teeth, putting in contact lenses, and dialing cell phones. The project manager for the study said, “To the everyday driver, we’d like to say that anytime you’re engaging in something else while driving, that really does increase your crash risk by two to three times.” The study, performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, found that 78 percent of accidents and 65 percent of near-accidents involve driver inattention within three seconds of an accident or near miss. Researchers also found that sleepy drivers are up to six times more likely to cause crashes than alert drivers, and that sleepy drivers are typically undercounted as the cause of accidents. Driver fatigue contributed to up to 24 percent of all the accidents in the study. Previous studies, based on police reports and eyewitnesses, suggested that driver fatigue was responsible for only about 5 percent of crashes.

WHAT’S BEHIND TURNOVER? Reducing driver turnover requires understanding and a good relationship between the driver and everyone who supports him, according to James J. DePillo and Stan Poduch, authors of the handbook “True Stories of Driver Turnover: Translating the Driver’s Perspective.” Poduch says, “Anybody who touches the life of a driver should be introduced to what the life of a driver is like,” including understanding the driver’s daily tasks, industry terminology, and how to best support the driver. The authors say this boils down to good communication, respect for the driver, and making the driver feel as though he is part of a family. However, the president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), Jim Johnston, says the real issue behind driver retention is “a shortage of compensation.” Drivers are “just churning from one company to another looking for a better deal,” said Johnston. “They’re not doing that because they’re gypsies. These guys would like to be able to stay in one place and make a good living at what they do.” Following the lead of Heartland Express and Schneider National, trucking companies increased their rates in the last year to attract and retain drivers. But analysts suggest the industry is playing catch-up after keeping driver wages flat from 2000 to 2003.

MORE WORKERS PASS ON INSURANCE: A recent study finds that more workers are saying no thanks to their companies’ health insurance plans because they can’t afford them. In 1998, 85.3 percent of eligible employees were enrolled in their companies’ health insurance plans, compared to 80.3 percent in 2003. During that same period, insurance premiums for individuals rose from about $2,400 per year to about $3,400. Even though employers bear the brunt of the expenses—paying about 83 percent of the costs of workers’ health insurance—employees are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their share. The report found that young adults, ages 19 to 34, are more likely to be uninsured than older adults, and that Hispanics are more likely to be uninsured, mainly because they may be non-citizens in low-paying jobs that don’t offer benefits.

PUTTING IT OFF: When there’s a dreaded project to do, many of us have clever ways to avoid it. Suddenly, we have a million things to do—and the dreaded project is not one of them. Author Rita Emmett identifies several groups of procrastinators who trick themselves into believing that it’s okay to put things off. Are you one of them? (1) Travelers. When Travelers face an important project, a strong urge suddenly makes them want to get up and go. This urge might take them to the coffee pot, the fax machine, the garage, or the mailbox, anywhere but to the important job. (2) Perfect Preparers. People in this group decide they can’t start a project until they’ve done more research, read more books, attended more seminars, or met more people. They can spend weeks, even months, preparing to start a project. (3) Socializers. At the mere thought of work, Socializers suddenly want to call a relative or email a friend. These people often wander from desk to desk chatting with others. (4) Straighteners. Straighteners decide that they can’t work until their desk is clean or their files are reorganized—and that could take a very long time. (5) Happy Helpers. Happy Helpers put aside their own work in order to help someone else. As long as they feel needed, they see themselves as being useful, not as avoiding an important job.

Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music left in them.—Louis Armstrong