LaHood: More Already Completed This Year Than In Any Of The
Last Five
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (pictured,
right) announced Monday that the U.S. DOT has already
completed more NTSB safety recommendations in 2010 than in any of
the last five years. Over the last eighteen months, the Department
has set an aggressive safety agenda, proactively taking on a number
of critical safety issues, including distracted driving, pilot
fatigue, and transit safety, as well as holding automakers
accountable for vehicle defects.
When investigating transportation incidents, the NTSB often
issues safety recommendations to the Department of Transportation.
In the first nine months of 2010, the Department of Transportation
completed 92 recommendations, compared with 60 in 2009, 60 in 2008,
40 in 2007, 50 in 2006, and 70 in 2005. Of the recommendations that
remain open, more than 80 percent are either currently being
considered by the NTSB or have been deemed acceptable pending final
action.
"It's no accident that our roads, rails, and skies are safer
than ever for travelers," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood. "From the outset, safety has been my number one priority at
the Department of Transportation. And every day, tens of thousands
of dedicated safety professionals at DOT are working to make
transportation even safer."
Since President Obama appointed Secretary LaHood to lead the
Transportation Department last year, Secretary LaHood says he has
made safety the agency's top priority across all modes of
transportation. The Department was reorganized, LaHood said, so
that safety issues would be more effectively addressed across the
Department's 10 operating administrations by forming the U.S.
Department of Transportation Safety Council, chaired by
Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari.
Specifically in terms of aviation safety, LaHood says air
travel is safer today than it has ever been, but that he and FAA
administrator Randy Babbitt are working to make it more safe.
They cite as an example that, after two decades of inaction on
pilot fatigue, LaHood and Babbitt recently announced a
landmark proposal to fight fatigue among commercial pilots by
setting new flight time, duty and rest requirements based on
fatigue science. Last year, Secretary LaHood and Administrator
Babbitt cited pilot fatigue as a top priority during the Airline
Safety Call to Action following the crash of Colgan Air 3407 in
February 2009. Administrator Babbitt launched an aggressive effort
to take advantage of the latest research on fatigue to create a new
pilot flight, duty and rest proposal.