CSA 2010 Improves Motor Carrier Safety
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has taken a fresh look at how the agency evaluates the safety performance of motor carriers and drivers. Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 is a major FMCSA initiative to increase the effectiveness of the agency's compliance and enforcement program. CSA 2010 aims to reduce the injuries and fatalities associated with commercial vehicle crashes by identifying unsafe behaviors at an early stage and intervening to resolve these issues before they lead to crashes.
The Volpe Center is providing key support to FMCSA's major motor carrier safety initiative, CSA 2010. (© iStockphoto.com/rayna)
CSA 2010 covers the full spectrum of safety issues—from how data are collected, evaluated and shared to how enforcement officials can intervene most effectively and efficiently to improve safety on our roads. FMCSA's current model is very labor-intensive and covers only a small fraction of the nation's approximately 700,000 interstate carriers.
Improvements in available data and tools have enabled FMCSA to introduce CSA 2010. CSA 2010 provides: (1) a more comprehensive safety measurement system; (2) a broader array of progressive interventions; (3) a safety fitness determination methodology that is based on performance data and not necessarily tied to an on-site compliance review; and (4) supporting information technology systems. FMCSA has made significant progress in developing and testing this approach. An operational model field test in eight states began last year and runs through June 2010. The complete CSA 2010 model will be rolled out on a state-by-state basis.
The Volpe Center is providing significant technical support to CSA 2010, including: designing a new measurement system and operational model test; developing performance measures, information systems, and new implementation and safety fitness determination processes; and supporting outreach and communication efforts.
Information on the CSA 2010 program is available at http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov, a web site developed and managed by the Volpe Center for FMCSA.
