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Comparison of the U.S. and European Approaches to Passenger Train Fire Safety
"Although the number of fires occurring on passenger rail vehicles has been historically low, the consequences, when a fire does occur, can be catastrophic, depending on the location of the train and the operating environment, particularly if the fire occurs at night or in a tunnel. [...] Accordingly, fire safety is an area of particular importance for inter-city passenger and commuter railroad operations. A "systems" approach to fire safety addresses passenger rail equipment design and materials for fire prevention, fire detection and suppression, passenger evacuation, and the interrelationship between these elements. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and other U.S. agencies and organizations, individual European countries, the International Union of Railways (UIC), and most recently, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), have all developed performance requirements for passenger rail vehicles, intended to provide such a "systems" approach for passenger safety that includes but extends beyond fire behavior test methods and related performance criteria."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Shurland, Melissa; Markos, Stephanie H.
2012-09
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Risk of Commercial Truck Fires in the United States: An Exploratory Data Analysis
"Large trucks are involved in only 8 percent of fatal crashes per year, but 17 percent of fatal fires. The scope of the current body of research is limited. Studies have treated truck fires generally as a subset of vehicle fires or in their own right on a smaller scale, confined to a limited pool of data. This study, commissioned by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), expands the current body of research to collect and analyze information from government, industry, and media sources on the magnitude, trends, and causes of truck fires in the United States and to identify potential risk-reduction measures. This study succeeds FMCSA's Motorcoach Fire Safety Analysis (2009), furthering the agency's mission to improve commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety on our nation's roads. Focusing on non-passenger CMVs with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of Class 4 and above, this study combines several government and industry data sources to investigate potential causal relationships across truck fire incidents, crash rates, and fatalities."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Meltzer, Neil R.; Pearlman, Jonathan
2012-09
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Pipeline Safety Update [September 2012]
"In the wake of several recent serious pipeline incidents, the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [PHMSA] has been working hard to address safety concerns. To date, PHMSA has determined that the age of the pipelines, the enforcement authority, and the data quality and transparency are some of the elements that are vital to having safe and reliable pipelines. Pipeline infrastructure--like our roads, bridges, ports, and rail infrastructure--is aging and needs more attention. Secretary Ray LaHood issued a Call to Action, urging pipeline operators to step up and repair, rehabilitate, or replace their aging infrastructure. The Pipeline Safety Update includes infrastructure updates from states, as well as initiatives from pipeline operators. In recognition of the need to strengthen pipeline safety regulations, President Obama signed the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty and Job Creation Act of 2011 into law earlier this year. The Act authorizes PHMSA to increase the maximum civil penalty for pipeline safety violations from $100,000 to $200,000 per violation per day. In addition, the agency will be able to collect a maximum of $2,000,000 for a related series of violations, up from $1,000,000. PHMSA is already moving forward to implement this new statutory authority. PHMSA plans to use its new authority to build on its already strong enforcement history -- in 2011, PHMSA closed its highest number of enforcement cases in a single year since the passage of the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002."
United States. Department of Transportation
2012-09
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Challenges with Implementing Near-Term NextGen Capabilities at Congested Airports Could Delay Benefits
"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that there are about 7,000 aircraft in the air over the United States at any given time. To better manage this traffic and meet future air travel demands, FAA is developing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), a satellite-based air traffic control system intended to replace the current ground-based system. NextGen involves a significant overhaul of the National Airspace System (NAS) that will require multibillion-dollar investments from both Government and airspace users. […] The Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its Subcommittee on Aviation asked us to review FAA's actions to address the task force's recommendations. Accordingly, our audit objectives were to assess the extent to which FAA is (1) responding to the recommendations, including adjusting its budgets and establishing mechanisms for continued industry collaboration, and (2) addressing barriers that may hinder its ability to successfully implement the recommendations."
United States. Department of Transportation. Office of Inspector General
2012-08-01
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Audit Report: PHMSA's Inadequate Management and Oversight of Hazardous Materials, Emergency Preparedness Grants Limited the Program's Effectiveness
"From 2001 through 2010, nearly 165,000 hazardous materials incidents1 occurred in the United States, resulting in more than 2,800 injuries, including several fatal injuries, and about $640 million in damages. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) administers the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grant Program as a part of its national strategy for reducing death and injuries from hazardous materials incidents. PHMSA estimates that almost 2.3 million emergency responders have been provided training with HMEP grant funds. The importance of adequately trained responders is highlighted when deficiencies in emergency response contribute to an endangerment of public safety. For example, in June 2004, a rail tank car carrying chlorine was punctured during a freight train collision in Macdona, TX, resulting in 3 fatalities and 30 injuries. As part of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) noted that the emergency response was untimely and ineffective because the responding agencies failed to consider alternative response and rescue tactics to access threatened residences. As a result, the responding agencies increased their employee training to prevent similar situations in the future. […] Accordingly, our objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of PHMSA's (1) policies, processes, and resources to execute the program; (2) outreach and coordination with States, local governments, and tribal organizations to enhance their approach to emergency planning and training; and (3) program oversight to ensure Federal funds are used for eligible activities in accordance with Federal law, regulations, and submitted grant applications."
United States. Department of Transportation. Office of Inspector General
2012-01-12
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National Travel & Tourism Strategy
"Travel and tourism are critical to the American economy. This growing industry offers significant
potential for job creation across all regions of the country. Federal policies on matters ranging from
national security to transportation and from trade to natural resources management affect travel
and tourism, and its potential for growth. In a global economy, a range of businesses depend on
travel and tourism policies to enable clients, customers, and colleagues to conduct business in the
United States. In addition, ensuring that international visitors have a positive experience in America
is an essential component of our public diplomacy and U.S. foreign policy."
United States. Department of Commerce; United States. Department of Transportation
2012
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Transportation Safety by the Numbers
"For the majority of Americans, driving or being a passenger in a motor vehicle is the most dangerous daily activity he or she will be undertaken. However, everyone can take steps to drive safely, such as avoiding the deadly 'Ds'--distracted or drunk driving. That is one of the reasons why transportation safety is a strategic priority of the U.S. Department of Transportation. According to the Centers for Disease Control, accidents (unintentional injuries) are the 5th leading cause of death in the United States. Transportation accidents account for 31.9 percent of the accidental deaths reported in 2010. Motor vehicle accidents or highway fatalities are responsible for the largest share, accounting for 93 percent of transportation‐related deaths. However, motor vehicle crashes have been trending downward, decreasing by 20.2 percent over the past 10 years, which has resulted in fewer motor vehicle fatalities and injuries. Many safety factors, including the safety measures, have contributed to this decline."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Chambers, Matthew
2012?
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Maritime Trade and Transportation by the Numbers
"The nation will observe Maritime Day on May 22, which was designated by Congress in 1933 to honor U.S. merchant mariners and the maritime industry. Water transportation contributed $36 billion U.S. dollars and 64 thousand jobs to the U.S. economy in 2010, which helped keep Americans moving."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Liu, Mindy; Chambers, Matthew
2012?
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State Transportation Statistics (2011)
From the Document: "The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT's [Department of Transportation] Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), presents 'State Transportation Statistics 2011,' a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is the eighth annual edition of the 'State Transportation Statistics,' and a companion document to the 'National Transportation Statistics (NTS),' which is updated quarterly on the BTS website. [...] Included in this 'State Transportation Statistics 2011' report is a brief description of the data sources used and a glossary of terms. Also contained in this publication is a summary table that displays the approximate timing of future data releases and contact information for each state's department of transportation."
United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics; United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
2012?
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State Transportation Statistics (2012)
"The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), presents 'State Transportation Statistics 2012', a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is the tenth annual edition of the 'State Transportation Statistics', and a companion document to the 'National Transportation Statistics (NTS)', which is updated quarterly on the BTS website. Like the previous editions, this document presents transportation information from RITA/BTS, other federal government agencies, and other national sources. A picture of the states' transportation infrastructure, freight movement and passenger travel, system safety, vehicles, transportation related economy and finance, energy usage and the environment is presented in tables covering the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Tables have been updated with the most recently available data."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration; United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
2012
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National Transportation Statistics 2012
"Compiled and published by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), 'National Transportation Statistics' presents information on the U.S. transportation system, including its physical components, safety record, economic performance, energy use, and environmental impacts. 'National Transportation Statistics' is a companion document to the 'Transportation Statistics Annual Report,' which analyzes some of the data presented here, and 'State Transportation Statistics,' which presents state-level data on many of the same topics presented here. The report has four chapters: [1] Chapter 1 provides data on the extent, condition, use, and performance of the physical transportation network. [2] Chapter 2 details transportation's safety record, giving data on accidents, crashes, fatalities, and injuries for each transportation mode and hazardous materials. [3] Chapter 3 focuses on the relationship between transportation and the economy, presenting data on transportation's contribution to the gross domestic product, employment by industry and occupation, and transportation-related consumer and government expenditures. [4] Chapter 4 presents data on transportation energy use and transportation-related environmental impacts."
United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics; United States. Department of Transportation; United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
2012
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Multimodal Transportation Indicators October 2011
This document discusses the Bureau of Transportation statistics within the United States
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
2011-10
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Transportation Safety Facts - 2009 Data
"A passenger vehicle is a motor vehicle weighing less than 10,000 pounds and includes passenger cars, and light trucks (pickup trucks, vans, SUVs, and other light trucks). Passenger vehicles make up over 90 percent of the fleet of registered vehicles, and account for nearly 90 percent of total vehicle miles traveled (VMT). In 2009 there were an estimated 9,640,000 vehicles involved in police-reported crashes, 95 percent (9,161,000) of which were passenger vehicles. There were 45,435 vehicles involved in fatal crashes, of which 80 percent (36,252) were passenger vehicles. More than 23,000 passenger vehicle occupants lost their lives in traffic crashes in 2009, and an estimated 1.97 million were injured. From 2000 to 2009, passenger vehicle registrations increased 17 percent overall. Light trucks (LTVs) experienced a 34-percent increase in registrations, while passenger cars had an increase of only 7 percent (see Figure 1). Among the light truck categories, pickup truck registrations increased 16 percent and van registrations increased 2 percent; however, SUV registrations increased by 100 percent"
United States. Department of Transportation
2011-09
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Deployment of ITS: A Summary of the 2010 National Survey Results
"This report presents summary results of the 2010 ITS Deployment Tracking survey, the most recent survey conducted by the ITS Deployment Tracking Project. The U.S. Department of Transportation and its member agencies, including the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, have pursued a research and development agenda, the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Program, designed to integrate the latest in information technologies to improve the safety, mobility, and reliability of surface transportation modes. Within metropolitan areas, implementation of these advanced technologies has been accomplished by a variety of state and local transportation and emergency management agencies as well as the private sector. In order to measure the rate of ITS deployment within the nation's largest metropolitan areas, the ITS Deployment Tracking Project has conducted a nationwide survey of state and local transportation and emergency management agencies nearly every year since 1997. The results presented in this report are intended to be a summary of the entire database from the 2010 survey. Access to the complete survey results and previous national surveys are available on-line at http://www.itsdeployment.its.dot.gov. The website also provides access to survey results in the form of downloadable reports, including a survey summary for each survey type and fact sheets. Nearly 1,600 surveys were distributed to state and local transportation agencies in 2010. A total of seven (7) survey types were distributed including: Freeway Management, Arterial Management, Transit Management, Transportation Management Center (TMC), Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), Public Safety -- Law Enforcement, and Public Safety -- Fire/Rescue."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Pol, James; Gordon, Steve; Trombly, Jeff
2011-08
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Framework for Considering Climate Change in Transportation and Land Use Scenario Planning: Final Report
"This report provides a framework for federal, state, regional, and local agencies to use to work collaboratively to reduce GHG [greehouse gas] emissions and to assess, mitigate, and adapt to SLR [sea-level rise] and other potential climate change effects and impacts in transportation and land use planning using scenario planning. General observations and recommendations are applicable to other areas throughout the U.S. The report describes potential inputs to and outputs of the process and provides examples and additional details in appendices and companion reports. The recommendations are not meant to be prescriptive in nature. Rather, they represent the views of the Pilot Project team on the successes as well as opportunities for improving the Pilot Project's method."
United States. Department of Transportation; United States. National Park Service; John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.) . . .
2011-07
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Crash Prevention Effectiveness of Light-Vehicle Electronic Stability Control: An Update of the 2007 NHTSA Evaluation
"Statistical analyses based on FARS [Fatality Analysis Reporting System] and NASS [National Automotive Sampling System] CDS data from 1997 to 2009 found that a vehicle equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) had a smaller likelihood of being involved in a crash than a similar vehicle without ESC. This analysis estimates the magnitude of that reduction for different types of crashes and for different types of vehicles. Overall, ESC was associated with a 5-percent decrease in the likelihood that a passenger car would be involved in any police-reported crash and a 23 percent reduction in the probability that a passenger car would be involved in a fatal crash. For light trucks and vans (LTVs), the reductions are 7 percent and 20 percent respectively. Each of these reductions is statistically significant except the 5 percent overall effect for passenger cars. Fatal first-event rollovers are reduced by 56 percent in passenger cars and by 74 percent in LTVs. Fatal impacts with fixed objects are reduced by 47 percent in passenger cars and 45 percent in LTVs. These reductions are statistically significant."
United States. Department of Transportation; United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
2011-06
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Pipeline Safety Action Plan [April 4, 2011]
"U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today launched a national pipeline safety initiative to repair and replace aging pipelines to prevent potentially catastrophic incidents. Following several fatal pipeline accidents, including one that killed five people in Allentown, PA, Secretary LaHood called upon U.S. pipeline owners and operators to conduct a comprehensive review of their oil and gas pipelines to identify areas of high risk and accelerate critical repair and replacement work. Secretary LaHood also announced federal legislation aimed at strengthening oversight on pipeline safety, as well as plans to convene a Pipeline Safety Forum on April 18th in Washington, DC, to gather state officials, industry leaders, and other pipeline safety stakeholders in order to discuss steps for improving the safety and efficiency of the nation's pipeline infrastructure. [...] The Department's pipeline safety action plan will address immediate concerns in pipeline safety, such as ensuring pipeline operators know the age and condition of their pipelines; proposing new regulations to strengthen reporting and inspection requirements; and making information about pipelines and the safety record of pipeline operators easily accessible to the public."
United States. Department of Transportation. Office of Public Affairs
2011-04-04
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Weather and Climate Impacts on Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
"The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has an interest in how adverse weather may influence trucking industry practices, and what climate change might mean for future FMCSA efforts to reduce weather-related crashes. Weather conditions influence commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operations and driver safety through wet pavement, impaired visibility, heavy precipitation, frozen precipitation, flooding, high winds, extremes of temperature, and other factors. Climate variability and climate change may also increase these exposures by affecting the distribution, frequency, or intensity of those weather events. Regional, State, and/or local impacts projected by climate change studies may have future implications for CMV safety. Should climate change result in more frequent or intense storms affecting CMVs, the historic decline in weather-related crashes may level off. This could pose challenges to FMCSA's primary mission, and the agency may need to explore different strategies for reducing weather-related crashes, such as education and training programs or technologies that could alert drivers of adverse weather conditions."
United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Johnsen, Michael; Rossetti, Michael A.
2011-04
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Decade of Decline in Person Crossings from Mexico and Canada into the United States
"The number of persons crossing into the United States through its ports of entry along the Canadian and Mexican borders has been declining since 2000. Recently, research¬ers have proposed various reasons for the decline in per¬son crossings, including (but not limited to) the economies of the three nations and increased security at the borders. This report does not examine reasons for the decline in person crossings, rather the trends in person crossings by mode are investigated. In 2009, there were approximately 252 million person crossings into the United States from Mexico and Canada. The majority of those crossings (75 percent) took place along the Mexican border. Along both the northern and southern borders, a large proportion of crossings were with personal vehicles. An additional 17 percent of total crossings were by pedestrians."
United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics; United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Guarino, Jenny
2011-02
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U.S. Rural Population and Scheduled Intercity Transportation in 2010: A Five-Year Decline in Transporation Access
"Between 2005 and 2010, 3.5 million rural residents lost access to scheduled intercity transportation, increasing the percent of rural residents without access to intercity transportation from 7 to 11 percent. In 2005, 5.4 million rural residents lacked access to intercity transportation, with that total increasing to 8.9 million rural residents in 2010. Of the 71.7 million rural residents retaining access in 2010, 3.7 million lost access to more than one intercity transportation mode during the 5-year period. These numbers update a 2005 analysis by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration. In 2005, BTS measured access to intercity transportation within rural America. At the time, BTS calculated that 93 percent of rural residents in the United States lived within the coverage area of at least one of the four intercity public transportation modes (air, bus, ferry, and rail). Since then, significant changes have occurred to the networks of several of the modes. These changes include, but are not limited to, network reductions made by Greyhound and the suspension of the New Orleans--Jacksonville route previously provided by Amtrak's Sunset Limited. In this report, rural areas within a specified reasonable distance of intercity air, bus, ferry, or rail transportation (hereafter referred to as the four intercity public transportation modes) are considered to have intercity transportation access to that mode. Rural residents living within a reason¬able distance of more than one mode are counted once in the total number of rural persons with access to intercity transportation and once in the total for each mode providing coverage."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
2011-02
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State Transportation Statistics (2010)
From the Document: "The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT's [Department of Transportation] Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), presents 'State Transportation Statistics 2010,' a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is the eighth annual edition of the 'State Transportation Statistics,' and a companion document to the 'National Transportation Statistics (NTS),' which is updated quarterly on the BTS website. [...] Included in this 'State Transportation Statistics 2010' report is a brief description of the data sources used and a glossary of terms. Also contained in this publication is a summary table that displays the approximate timing of future data releases and contact information for each state's department of transportation."
United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics; United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
2011?
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America's Container Ports: Linking Markets at Home and Abroad
"The U.S. marine transportation system handles large volumes of domestic and international freight in support of the Nation's economic activities. As a vital part of that system, the Nation's container ports handle cargo and are sources of employment, revenue, and taxes for businesses or communities where they are located. This report provides an overview of the movement of maritime freight handled by the Nation's container ports in 2009 through mid-2010, based on the most current available data through that time period. It summarizes trends in maritime freight movement since 1995, especially during the last 5 years. It also covers the impact of the recent U.S. and global economic downturn on container traffic; trends in container throughput; concentration of containerized cargo at the top U.S. ports; regional shifts in cargo handled, vessel calls, and port capacity; the rankings of U.S. ports among the world's top ports; and the number of maritime container entries into the United States relative to truck and rail containers. The report also includes spotlight summaries of landside access to con¬tainer ports and maritime security initiatives."
United States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
2011-01
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FAA Needs to Implement More Efficient Performance-Based Navigation Procedures and Clarify the Role of Third Parties
This Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report evaluated the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of Required Navigation Performance (RNP) third-party agreements. The audit's objectives were to (1) assess the extent to which FAA is relying on third parties to develop new procedures and (2) determine whether FAA has sufficient mechanisms and staffing to provide safety oversight of third parties' procedure development process. According to the audit, "FAA has clarified its role in developing new RNP procedures, stating that it will primarily rely on its own resources rather than third parties" and "has not fully established an oversight program for third parties, defined the staffing levels needed to oversee them, or finalized key guidance to industry on qualifications to become a third-party developer."
United States. Department of Transportation. Office of Inspector General
2010-12-10
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Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Management for the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area
"The devastating effects of terrorism are distinctly clear and realistic to our generation with the haunting September 11 attacks, the 2005 subway bombings in London, the 2009 attempted Christmas attack, and constant turmoil overseas. Therefore, it is important to examine and assess the outcome of potential terrorist attacks in preparation for an emergency evacuation by minimizing damages and enhancing solutions for the safety of the public. Most specifically, there is a need to investigate the ways in which a terrorist attack could affect a transportation network in densely populated areas and develop efficient emergency evacuation plans. Since 2007, Florida Atlantic University's Transportation Research Group has developed several emergency management scenarios involving immediate aftermaths of terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C.This project is an accumulation of three separate case studies that were conducted in the Washington, D.C. downtown area with various degrees of specification. The purpose of this research is to examine and assess the existing infrastructure's ability to handle specified disasters and to make recommendations based upon the findings of this research."
United States. Department of Transportation; United States. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation
Kaisar, Evangelos I.; Scarlatos, P. D.
2010-12
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Top Management Challenges, Department of Transportation [2011]
"As required by law, we [Office of Inspector General ] have identified the Department of Transportation's (DOT) top management challenges for fiscal year 2011. […] We continue to build a body of work to assist DOT with its critical mission; improve the management and execution of programs; and protect its resources from fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of law. We considered several criteria in identifying the following nine challenges, including their impact on safety, documented vulnerabilities, large dollar implications, and DOT's ability to effect change in these areas: 1) Ensuring Transparency and Accountability in the Department's Recovery Act Programs 2) Maintaining Momentum in the Department's Oversight of Highway, Motor Vehicle, Hazardous Materials, and Transit Safety 3) Maintaining Momentum in Addressing Human Factors and Improving Safety Oversight of the Aviation Industry 4) Improving the Department's Oversight of Highway, Transit, and Pipeline Infrastructure 5) Identifying Sufficient Funding Sources To Support Future Federal Investment in Surface Transportation Infrastructure 6) Transforming the Federal Railroad Administration To Address Significantly Expanded Oversight Responsibilities 7) Advancing the Next Generation Air Transportation System While Ensuring the Safe and Efficient Operation of the National Airspace System 8) Implementing Processes To Improve the Department's Acquisitions and Contract Management 9) Improving the Department's Cyber Security".
United States. Department of Transportation. Office of Inspector General
2010-11-15
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Final Report: Task Force Recommendations Under the Provisions of the Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2008
"Under the Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2008, the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] has the
responsibility to assist family members and coordinate public and private responsibilities in the
wake of rail passenger disasters. The Board has similar responsibilities for major aviation
accidents (under the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996) and developed the NTSB
Federal Family Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters to serve as the model plan in the provision
of family assistance in such accidents. Aspects of this plan are also used in the daily
responsibilities of the NTSB Transportation Disaster Assistance Division (TDA) to assist family
members in all modes of transportation. Relying of 17 years of transportation accident response
experience, the plan focuses on meeting the four major areas of concern for family members:
notification about the accident, short and long-term information sharing, victim identification,
and management of personal effects. [...] Because this plan has worked effectively in major accidents in all modes of
transportation, it is well suited to serve as the basis of the rail passenger disaster model plan, with
appropriate modifications.
The Task Force recognizes that the rail passenger business model will often address the issue of
passenger list/manifest somewhat differently than the aviation model. However, NTSB
experience in rail accidents, motorcoach accidents, and other 'open population' transportation
accident underscores the need for an effective process for accounting for those killed, injured and
otherwise involved in these accidents, and to begin the process of family assistance services."
United States. National Transportation Safety Board; United States. Department of Transportation
2010-11
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ARRA Websites Vulnerable to Hackers and Carry Security Risks
"The objective of this audit was to determine if DOT's [U.S. Department of Transportation] recovery Websites and database systems are properly configured to minimize the risk of cyber attacks. Accordingly, we performed assessments of these Websites and systems to identify vulnerabilities."
United States. Department of Transportation
2010-10-22
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FAA Faces Significant Risks in Implementing the Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast Program and Realizing Benefits
This Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) report "presents the results of [an OIG] review of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) program. ADS-B is a satellite-based surveillance technology that also uses aircraft avionics and ground-based systems to provide information on aircraft location to pilots and air traffic controllers. ADS-B has the potential to fundamentally change the way air traffic is managed in the United States, and FAA expects that it will enhance capacity, improve safety, and play a critical role in the planned transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). At the request of the Chairmen of the House Committee on Transportation Infrastructure and Subcommittee on Aviation, [the OIG] examined FAA's plans for implementing ADS-B. Specifically, our objectives were to (1) examine key risks to FAA's successful implementation of ADS-B and (2) assess the strengths and weaknesses of FAA's contracting approach. This report summarizes [the OIG's] assessment of FAA's progress to date and provides our recommendations for reducing risk in developing and deploying ADS-B technology and strengthening contract oversight. [The OIG] conducted this audit in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States."
United States. Department of Transportation. Office of Inspector General
2010-10-12
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Restrictions on Railroad Operating Employees' Use of Cellular Telephones and Other Electronic Devices
"FRA [Federal Railroad Administration] is amending its railroad
communications regulations by
restricting use of mobile telephones and
other distracting electronic devices by
railroad operating employees. This rule
codifies most of the requirements of
FRA Emergency Order No. 26, which is
supplanted by this final rule on the date
it becomes effective. FRA has revised
some of the substantive requirements of
that Emergency Order as well as its
scope to accommodate changes that
FRA believes are appropriate based
upon its experience with the Emergency
Order and in response to public
comments submitted in response to the
proposed rule."
United States. Office of the Federal Register; United States. Federal Railroad Administration; United States. Department of Transportation
2010-09-27
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Lacks Core Elements for a Successful Acquisition Function
"The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) relies on the procurement of goods and services to achieve its primary mission of reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. In fiscal year 2009, FMCSA received a $234 million budget for its operations and programs to support its mission--$80 million or 34 percent of which was for the procurement of goods and services. FMCSA also relies heavily on contract arrangements that place a high risk on the Agency because they tie the contractor's profit to the number of hours worked, thus imposing the risk of cost overruns on the Government. FMCSA spends about 40 percent of its dollars on such contracts compared to about 5 percent Governmentwide. Given the magnitude of FMCSA's contracted goods and services to its mission success and its significant use of high-risk contracts, it is critical that its contract practices are effective to protect the Government's interest. We performed this audit at the request of FMCSA's former Administrator. [The Office of Inspector General (OIG)] audit objectives were to determine whether FMCSA's contract award and administration practices comply with applicable laws and regulations. As a result, [the OIG] reviewed FMCSA's (1) acquisition planning and competition of contracts, (2) contract administration and oversight, and (3) acquisition infrastructure. Our audit work included a review of 27 FMCSA contracts valued at $192 million from a universe of contract actions reported between fiscal year 2005 and January 12, 2009."
United States. Department of Transportation. Office of Inspector General
2010-08-24
