Author: Fair Warning

Dec 8, 2015 4:59 PM

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Critics fault new highway law for concessions to trucking industry

By Brian Joseph
FairWarning
A $305 billion highway bill approved by Congress and signed by President Obama last week includes several provisions aggressively sought by the trucking industry that, critics say, will undermine traffic safety.
Nov 17, 2015 11:50 AM

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Racial politics flavor debate over banning menthol cigarettes

By Myron Levin
FairWarning
Lorillard Tobacco donated nearly four times as much to Republican candidates as to Democrats in the 2014 congressional elections. No surprise there — most businesses count on Republicans to hold the line on regulations and taxes. But Lorillard made a striking exception for one set of Democrats: African Americans.
Oct 31, 2015 5:41 PM

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Heavy-spending trucking industry pushes Congress to relax safety rules

By Brian Joseph
FairWarning.org
Big rig crashes kill nearly 4,000 Americans each year and injure more than 85,000. Fatalities involving large trucks are up 17 percent since 2009; injuries up 28 percent. Given these numbers, you might expect Congress to be agitating for tighter controls on big rigs. In fact, many members are pushing for the opposite – looser restrictions on the trucking industry and its drivers.
Oct 21, 2015 6:20 AM

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Speaking up for safety can lead to retaliation against workers

By Stuart Silverstein and Brian Joseph
FairWarning
As both a veteran railroad worker and union official responsible for safety, Mike Elliott became alarmed when he learned of trouble-plagued train signals in his home state of Washington. Signals, he said, at times would inexplicably switch from red to yellow to green – potentially creating confusion that could lead to a crash.
Jun 30, 2015 11:37 AM

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Collision course: With wary eye on big trucks, bike riders seek safe space on city streets

By Bridget Huber
FairWarning
On a July afternoon in New Orleans last year, Philip Geeck was riding his bicycle in a marked bike lane on a busy street when he was crushed to death by a tractor-trailer truck that witnesses said tried to turn right without signaling. Heavy trucks make up a fraction of the vehicles on the road, but they are involved in a disproportionate share of accidents that kill bicyclists and pedestrians, according to federal data.
Jun 25, 2015 2:07 PM

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Off-Road industry looks to Congress to put brakes on safety regulation

By Myron Levin
FairWarning
Manufacturers of off-road vehicles have mounted fierce resistance to proposed federal rules aimed at reducing rollover crashes that have killed hundreds of riders. After failing to persuade the Consumer Product Safety Commission to shelve the rules, the companies have turned to Congress to run interference.