The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) expressed its concern about the increasing number of transportation accidents caused by fatigue. Just recently, they disclosed that fatigue was the probable cause of the 2005 Wisconsin collision that killed 5 people and injured 35 others.
Two Vehicles, One Major Collision
The collision involved a motorcoach and a truck-tractor semitrailer. This happened just before 2 a.m. on October 16, 2005, when a truck-tractor semitrailer traveling westbound on I-94 highway near Osseo, Wisconsin, left the right-hand lane, entered and re-entered the highway, then overturned, blocking both westbound lanes. After about a minute, a motorcoach crashed into the overturned truck. The driver of the motorcoach and four of its passengers were killed.
Fatigue and Technologies
NTSB said this would not have happened if the driver of the truck hadn’t fallen asleep at the wheel. According to the Board, the driver failed to use his off-duty time to get enough sleep before driving the vehicle.
They added that the accident might have been prevented had the truck been equipped with technologies that can detect fatigue. The board also said that the collision might have been avoided or its severity reduced had the motorcoach been equipped with a technology called collision warning system, which comes with active braking.
“In this tragic accident, we can clearly see how the advanced vehicle safety technologies, some of which are already fully developed and in use, could have made a big difference here,” said NTSB acting chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “This Board is going to continue to be a strong advocate for the implementation of technologies that can actually prevent such terrible accidents from ever occurring.”
Doing Something about Fatigue
Whether their vehicles have NTSB’s recommended technologies, employers must heed the Board’s concern about fatigue accidents. By providing their vehicle drivers with trainings and reasonable work schedules with breaks, accidents on the road like the 2005 collision can be better prevented.
“Human fatigue has been a persistent factor in far too many transportation accidents,” said Rosenker. “And, if anything, the problem is growing, not shrinking. More needs to be done to reverse the trend so fewer of these tragic accidents come before the safety board.”
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