Transportation Safety

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Teens who play mature-rated, risk-glorifying video games may be more likely than those who don’t to become reckless drivers who experience increases in automobile accidents, police stops and willingness to drink and drive, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

Here are this week’s top occupational safety and health-related stories from www.ISHN.com:

Passengers traveling on Boeing 747s and other large planes probably don’t realize that their pilot cannot see the airplane’s wingtips from the cockpit unless he opens the cockpit window and sticks his head out of it.

For the third time in less than three months, Norfolk Southern has been ordered to pay penalties for illegally firing two workers. The latest fines levied by OSHA for violating whistleblower protection laws total $932,070.

A truck driver who was fired for refusing to drive with a co-worker who smoked in the vehicle  – in a truck containing explosives – was the victim of retaliation, according to OSHA, which has his former employer to reinstate him.

A tanker truck carrying more than 8,000 gallons of fuel was struck by a freight train early this morning outside of Dallas, Tx, resulting in a fiery explosion – but no injuries.

A National Transportation Safety Board team is en route to Ellicott City, Md, to investigate a fatal freight train derailment that occurred just after midnight.

Norfolk Southern Railway Co. has once again been found guilty of retaliating against a worker who reported a work-related injury – which is creating a chilling effect in the railroad industry, according to OSHA.

Despite the fact that car crashes are the leading cause of death for children older than three years in the U.S. and send more than 140,000 children to the emergency room each year, new research has found that low proportions of U.S. children are using age-appropriate safety restraints and many are placed at risk by riding in the front seat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reminding pedestrians of all ages to walk with care – using crosswalks where possible – and urging drivers to be on the lookout for pedestrians at all times.