Hearings to offer a glimpse of high-tech truck safety features

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 13, 1999) — The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public hearing in Nashville, Tenn., later this month to highlight new safety technologies for commercial vehicles.

The meetings will take place Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, NTSB chairman Jim Hall said earlier this week.

“Today trucks on the road are bigger and more powerful than ever before. If we can use technology to make a bigger truck, we can also use it to make a safer truck,” said Hall.

The hearing will include a products showcase featuring state-of-the-art safety technology, as well as several full size trucks equipped safety features such as electronic braking systems, collision avoidance radar with adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning systems, and systems that allow the driver to receive satellite and land based communications, track
fuel mileage and check systems diagnostics.

The August hearing is the second in the series of hearings focused on improving truck and bus safety in America. Members of the NTSB will hear will testimony from representatives of the U.S. government, the truck-and-bus industry, technology manufacturers, public advocacy groups, and foreign governments that have already implemented some of the advanced technology.

In April, the NTSB the held a hearing to examine the conditions and causes of truck- and bus- related crashes as well as federal, state and industry oversight, in order to determine effective solutions to long-standing safety issues.

The hearing is open to the public and no registration is required.