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Archive July 2024

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Research Results: Countermeasures for Distracted Driving

As roadside responders, towers know that distracted driving is a serious problem. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that 91,000 police-reported crashes resulting in 50,000 injuries and 800 fatalities annually—amounting to approximately 1%–2% of all crashes, injuries, and deaths—involve drowsy driving. In a new report summary titled "Countermeasures for Distracted Driving: An Exploration Beyond the Scientific Literature" the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety presents a comprehensive review of current efforts by national, state, local, and international organizations at implementing countermeasures to address driver distraction.

 

Findings from the foundational interviews revealed that distracted driving is likely to be underestimated, underprioritized, underfunded, and difficult to evaluate. Additional challenges identified by the interviewees include the following: 

 

  • Most distracted driving countermeasures (including legislation) focus solely on specific cellphone-use behaviors.
  • Distracted driving countermeasures, as implemented, most often involve education, though some interviewees noted a lack of effectiveness for education alone.
  • Enforcement is often perceived as the most effective countermeasure but not feasible for most organizations.
  • Misunderstanding of the Safe System approach (by both practitioners and the public) may limit the necessary redundancy of implementation efforts.

 

Key Findings

 

General recommendations and opportunities for the development, implementation, and promotion of distracted driving countermeasures include (listed in the order they are presented in the report):

 

  • Expand the range of distracted driving behaviors targeted by countermeasures beyond cellphone use.
  • Extend the targeting of distracted driving countermeasures beyond young drivers.
  • Continue the development of smartphone-based distracted driving countermeasures.
  • Strengthen educational/behavioral distracted driving countermeasures by incorporating constructs of behavioral change theory that are known to be effective in changing other risky behaviors.
  • Expand the framing of educational/behavioral countermeasures to include non-risk-related messaging.
  • Focus on educating law enforcement on the value of enforcing distracted driving laws.
  • Promote the use of objective measures of general driving and distracted driving in the development and evaluation of distracted driving countermeasures.
  • Clarify among distracted driving stakeholders the importance of outcome evaluations that measure changes in behavior in understanding the effectiveness of distracted driving countermeasures.
  • Develop a consistent and coordinated branding of distracted driving prevention efforts across jurisdictions.
  • Increase the visibility of the National Distracted Driving Coalition and other existing alliances that address distracted driving.
  • Address safety culture and the Safe System Approach in efforts to reduce distracted driving.
  • Develop a Safe System Approach toolkit with easy-to-understand strategies and materials for implementing efforts to address distracted driving.
  • Consider the necessary and realistic financial and human resources as a fundamental component in distracted driving efforts.
  • Ensure that underserved and low-income communities have the resources to implement and engage in distracted driving countermeasures.

 

TRAA appreciates the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety for conducting this valuable research. We look forward to seeing the results of their next study. For more information visit: AAAFoundation.org.

Molnar, L.J., Zakrajsek, J.S., Zanier, N., St. Louis, R.M. & Eby, D.W. (2024). Countermeasures for Distracted Driving: An Exploration Beyond the Scientific Literature (Technical Report). Washington, D.C.: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

TRAA Represents Industry at National Senior Executive Transportation & Public Safety Summit

Last month, traffic incident management (TIM) stakeholders from across the country convened in DC for FHWA's 4th Senior Executive Transportation and Public Safety Summit focusing on The Future of Traffic Incident Management (TIM). William Johnson, TRAA President, Joanne Blyton, TRAA Past President, Chad Yarbrough, TRAA 4th VP, Linda Unruh, TRAA Associate Member Representative, and Cynthia Martineau, TRAA Executive Director, were proud to represent the industry.

 

The summit was an opportunity to explore and discuss the responder community’s shared vision for TIM moving forward and included discussions about the importance of maintaining the interdisciplinary nature of the National TIM Training Program, potential options for funding and building a TIM training workforce, and the importance of getting TIM training mandated for every responder discipline. For example, many municipal and state towing contracts now require towers to be TIM trained.

William Johnson sat as an expert on a panel discussing the Strategic Vision for the National TIM Training Program. Joanne Blyton and Linda Unruh served as content experts during several breakout sessions and Cynthia Martineau facilitated a breakout session on Towing-Related Laws and Policies.

 

TRAA was also proud to assist FHWA with securing Congressman Jim McGovern as the summit’s keynote speaker. Congressman McGovern is passionate about roadway safety having introduced and secured passage of the National Move Over Law Resolution (H. Res. 1463) in 2022. He has since reintroduced the resolution in the 118th Congress to keep roadway safety at the forefront of everyone’s mind and is a tireless champion of the nation’s towing industry.

 

Participation in these influential events furthers both the industry’s professionalism and the perception of other industry stakeholders. Time and resources well-spent!

TRAA's New President

We are pleased to announce that George Kuntz from North Dakota has been unanimously elected by the Executive Cabinet to fill the vacant position of TRAA President. Having served on TRAA’s Executive Cabinet for many years, George is extremely qualified and ideally positioned to step into the role. Additionally, the Executive Cabinet has elected Jeff Roskopf, TRAA President from 4/2015-4/2019, to the 1st Vice President role that George has now vacated.

 

Per our bylaws, both appointments will be up for ratification during the Fall Board of Directors Meeting (Article IV, Section 11).

 

?TRAA is fully engaged on all fronts, and we appreciate your support as we represent the nation’s towing and recovery industry!

Trucking Industry Attempt Thwarted

We recognize that there was considerable interest in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) public hearing regarding transparency in towing fees and that not everyone was able to attend. For those who would like to watch the hearing, the FMCSA recently posted a recording of the session here.

 

In addition to TRAA’s participation in the hearing, TRAA is working with our affiliate state associations who would like to submit public comments to FMCSA. We believe that comments from state towing associations will play an important role in informing FMCSA's actions. We are committed to take every action we can to ensure that the towing voice is heard and heeded by federal regulatory agencies. 

 

In addition to efforts regarding “predatory towing”, the trucking industry has made numerous attempts to increase truck weight and size. They have proposed the creation of a “pilot program” to allow any state to increase truck weights for 10 years on their interstates from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds. They have also proposed legislation to increase limits for auto carriers from 80,000 pounds to 88,000 pounds. Finally, the trucking industry is also attempting to add an amendment to the pending Farm Bill reauthorization which would dramatically increase the load shift axle variance for trucks carrying dry bulk cargo. 

 

TRAA has partnered with the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) and other stakeholders to oppose these efforts. TRAA was a signatory on a letter to the Appropriation Committee opposing language that would increase truck size and weight. Earlier this week, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill. As a result of TRAA's partnership with other stakeholders, we were able to block all the language that would allow an increase in truck size or weight.

  

Please do not hesitate to contact TRAA with any questions. 

 

Sincerely,

David J. Garriepy

Vice President, Government Affairs

Tremont Strategies Group (TSG)

TRAA Change in Leadership

The Executive Cabinet is saddened to report that William E. Johnson has resigned from his position as TRAA President for personal reasons. While this is difficult, we sincerely wish him well in all his endeavors and greatly appreciate his many contributions to TRAA over the years.

 

As we now have a vacancy, the Executive Cabinet is currently in the process of filling the position. Per TRAA’s Bylaws, the Executive Cabinet will elect a qualified candidate by their majority vote and the incumbent will be up for ratification during the Fall Board of Directors Meeting (Article IV, Section 11).

 

?Rest assured that TRAA’s many efforts are still going strong. The membership will receive a legislative update shortly, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Research Results: Uncovering the Spillover Effect from Posted Speed Limit Changes

Speeding is a significant safety concern and has contributed to almost one-third of road fatalities in the past 20 years. As roadside responders, it's important for the towing community to be aware of changes to roadway systems that may impact the frequency and severity of roadway incidents.

 

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently conducted and published a project titled “Uncovering the Spillover Effect from Posted Speed Limit Changes: A Tool to Examine Potential Safety Concerns” which employed a systematic exploration of the literature and spatial analysis to uncover speed-related crashes on roadways adjacent to Interstate highways with newly increased posted speed limits.

 

The goal of this work was to ensure roadways can be safe for users by identifying potential safety risks caused by the spillover effect. The following takeaways offer insights into the importance of evaluating safety impacts on nearby traffic networks when posted speed limits on Interstates were raised:

 

Key Findings

 

  • After the posted speed limits were raised on Interstates, comparing ‘before’ and ‘after’ crashes along the roadway may not yield the true safety impact. Spatial analyses identified safety concerns (i.e., hot spots) on multiple adjacent roads along the Interstates examined in this project. Such an approach offers a repeatable and systemic way to examine unintended impacts from posted speed limit changes.
  • When posted speed limits on Interstates were raised to accommodate operating speeds of vehicles and increase traffic flow and throughput, adjacent roads being operated and managed by local transportation agencies could see increases in traffic safety concerns because of the spillover effect. To minimize unintended safety consequences, it is important for transportation departments, at all levels, to coordinate and work closely when considering posted speed limit adjustments.
  • The tool used in this project measures how speed-related crashes are correlated to each other in space across a study area and graphically presents areas of traffic safety concerns. When transportation agencies can visually identify hot spots on their roads, comprehensive plans can be developed with strategies and countermeasures to address them.

 

TRAA appreciates the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety for conducting this valuable research. We look forward to seeing the results of their next study. For more information visit: AAAFoundation.org.

Romo, A., McDonough, J., Wei, A. & Yang, C.Y.D. (2024). Uncovering the Spillover Effect from Posted Speed Limit Changes: A Tool to Examine Potential Safety Concerns (Technical Report). Washington, D.C.: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

TRAA Meets with FTC Commissioner Holyoak

The towing industry is facing a two-front battle as it relates to transparency in towing fees for commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), and so-called predatory towing practices in general. This is due to the fact that the US Department of Transportation formally submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this year requesting that the FTC include CMV towing practices in the final rulemaking creating the so-called “junk fee” rule regarding unfair and deceptive fees, and the FTC’s apparent interpretation that consumer predatory towing practices should be incorporated into the rule.

 

TRAA continues to advocate against including the towing industry in the final rule. Just last week, TRAA met with FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak and her staff. This meeting follows a meeting previously held with the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection, and our follow-up letter after that meeting. In these meetings, TRAA focuses on four main points:

  1. highlighting the differences between the pro forma transactions that the rule is intended to address and the transactions in the towing industry that are unique in every case;
  2. the absence of sufficient research and data required for proper rulemaking;
  3. the adverse impact on traffic incident management responders and public safety; and
  4. subsequent FMCSA action, which TRAA firmly believes (and federal law clearly states) is the proper jurisdiction to address the issue.

 

In addition to direct engagement, we continue to work to garner the support of Congress in our efforts to combat such action as well as urge the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to act in a more moderate approach.

 

While the efforts at the FTC and FMCSA are different, they are also complimentary, and both are needed to protect the industry from policies that threaten the ability of towing and recovery operators to provide timely and effective services and, most importantly, the safety of our traffic incident management responders and America’s motorists. TRAA firmly believes that the FTC should not act, and instead allow the FMCSA, and the states, which have the Congressionally-directed authority on towing operations, to exercise that authority to address appropriate pricing and fee disclosures that make sense for the specific and unique features of the consumer towing industry.      

 

?As always, thank you to those who have been active participants in this process, and plan to submit public comments to the FMCSA. The FMCSA has extended its comment period to August 1, and additional information about the extension can be found here.

 

Sincerely,

David J. Garriepy

Vice President, Government Affairs

Tremont Strategies Group (TSG)

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Who We Are

TRAA is the national association representing the U.S. towing and recovery industry. We act as the "voice of America's towing industry" by offering representation, education, and leadership at the federal level. Much of our focus is on representing the interests of the towing and recovery industry on Capitol Hill including promoting positive legislation and opposing potentially negative legislation. TRAA is the industry's watchdog on Capitol Hill!