New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on the Department of Transportation to ensure all truck drivers use black boxes in their vehicles in the wake of the deadly wreck that left comedian Tracy Morgan badly injured.
Mr. Schumer, citing the accident involving Mr. Morgan, said the nation can’t wait any longer for the transportation department to take action.
“Each year, thousands of people are hurt and even killed in truck crashes in part due to overworked and fatigued drivers who shouldn’t be on the road,” he said, the New York Daily News reported.
Mr. Morgan, 45, was seriously injured and another passenger killed on June 7 after a Wal-Mart tractor-trailer rear-ended their limousine bus. Authorities subsequently charged the truck driver, Kevin Roper, whom they said had been driving more than 24 hours without sleep.
The black boxes track and log driver hours, as well as speed and several other transportation-related factors, the Daily News reported.
The black boxes were actually supposed to be legal mandates in 2012, but the Department of Transportation has failed to make sure companies installed them, or drivers used them.
The National Transportation Safety Board reported that there were 333,000 crashes involving trucks in 2012.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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