Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021:
A 2020 study released by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that nearly half of truck drivers are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea. This table compares drivers tested for OSA using commercial driver medical exam (CDME) data compared to the STOP-Bang (SB) sleep apnea screening assessment on the same pool of drivers.Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Researchers find nearly 50% of truckers may have sleep apnea when using STOP-Bang screening method
A 2020 study looking at the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in truck drivers found that nearly half of the 20,000 observed truck drivers potentially had apnea.
Beginning Friday, Virginians can no longer hold a cellphone while driving, Maryland workers will be paid a higher minimum wage and D.C. retailers can no longer sell packing peanuts.
Put your phone down and focus on driving. Starting Jan. 1, that will be the law in Virginia.
The law will prohibit people from holding a handheld communications device while driving. Itâs a primary offense, which means police can pull a driver over for that alone.
First-time offenders face a fine of $125, and additional offenses are a fine of $250.
âThere is a lot of agreement that this is something that will significantly improve traffic safety across the state,â Roanoke County Police Chief Howard Hall said. âDistracted driving is a significant factor to crashes.â
Virginia law already prohibits texting and emailing while driving, but phone use is otherwise not restricted, except in highway work zones.
Banned in Virginia starting Jan 1: Holding a phone while driving richmond.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from richmond.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Increasing safety for electric cars and pedestrians
An interdisciplinary research group at Virginia Tech is using an award of $550,000 to create a virtual environment to test safety measures for the interaction between electric vehicles (EVs) and pedestrians. The award is an 18-month project funded by the Safety through Disruption (Safe-D) University Transportation Center.
EVs brought a significant change to the automotive world when Toyota started mass production of the Prius hybrid in 1997. The Prius engine and many like it introduced a combination of both gas and electric power. This gave the horsepower of gasoline when it was needed, engaging all-electric mode at other times to conserve fuel and reduce emissions.