News in category: On The Road

A poll says 51 percent of Americans would fly when sick with the swine flu or seasonal influenza because of the stiff penalties imposed by the airlines for changing plans.

A United Airlines Boeing 767 pilot has been charged with having too much alcohol in his system before taking off with 135 passengers onboard. The good news is the system worked for detecting such behavior. The bad news is this is the third arrest of a U.S. pilot in 13 months for being over the alcohol limits, eroding the once sterling image of pilots.

Toyota say floor mats may obstruct the accelerator pedal in some 4 million Toyotas, but a government report of a horrific crash that killed a Southern California family last August reveals more problems than floor mats.

Distracted drivers can include airline pilots and now those at the helm of NWA Flight 188 have lost their pilots' license after missing the airport by 150 miles.

The Obama administration has thrown out the longer hours-of-service rules the Bush administration had three times imposed allowing truck drivers to stay on the road more hours per week. New rules are being crafted.

What happened to Northwest Flight 188? It overshot its destimation by 150 miles this week and air-traffic controllers lost contact with the pilots for 78-minutes. The pilots say they were in a heated discussion. They've both been suspended from flying.

Federal safety investigators are considering screening commercial bus and truck drivers, as well as merchant ship pilots for sleep apnea - a disorder which involves disruptions in breathing during sleep.

An Etowah County Circuit Court jury awarded an Alabama woman $8.5 million in an SUV product liability case. The trial concerned a 2005 lawsuit filed against Ford Motor Company over a rollover crash in 2003.

Metrolink will settle the remaining lawsuits from its 2005 Glendale, California derailment for $30 million.

Two airlines, US Airways and United, are facing record fines for safety violations. Both airlines assure the public they are committed to safety.

Insurance scams target female drivers, usually in a newer-type car, or distracted drivers, and create an accident that appears to be her fault. The scammers then claim they are the "victims" of injury and are costing insurance companies, and ultimately us all, billions in fraudulent claims.

Jeep Grand Cherokees made before 2005 should be recalled because of a fatal fire danger, says the Center for Auto Safety in a petition to the federal government. The Center points to 254 deaths resulting from the flaw.

The Distracted Driving Summit has resulted in President Obama signing an executive order that bans 4.5 million federal employees and the military from texting and driving. Truckers are not included at this time.

A crash in San Diego last month that killed four people including a family may have been caused by a floor mat that covered the accelerator pedal of the speeding car. Now Toyota and the federal government are recalling about 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles with the same potential problem.

A conference on distracted drivers begins in Washington Wednesday, and truckers are sure to square off with safety advocates over computers in the cab.