Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Safety Recommendation Details

Safety Recommendation H-95-044
Details
Synopsis: ABOUT 1:50 A.M. ON MONDAY, 1/9/95, A MULTIPLE-VEHICLE REAR-END COLLISION OCCURRED DURING LOCALIZED FOG AT MILEPOST 118 ON INTERSTATE 40 NEAR MENIFEE, ARKANSAS, THE COLLISION SEQUENCE INITIATED WHEN AN UNINVOLVED VEHICLE & THE ACCIDENT LEAD VEHICLE ENTERED DENSE FOG. AS THE LEAD VEHICLE REPORTELY SLOWED FROM 65 MILES PER HOUR TO BETWEEN 35 & 40 MPH, IT WAS STRUCK IN THE REAR. SUBSEQUENT COLLISIONS OCCURRED AS VEHICLES DROVE INTO THE WRECKAGE AREA AT SPEEDS VARYING FROM 15 TO 60 MPH. THE ACCIDENT EVENTUALLY INVOLVED EIGHT LOADED TRUCK TRACTOR SEMITRAILER COMBINATIONS & ONE LIGHT-DUTY DELIVERY VAN. EIGHT VEHICLES WERE OCCUPIED BY A DRIVER ONLY, & ONE VEHICLE HAD A DRIVER & A CODRIVER. THREE TRUCKDRIVERS, THE CODRIVER, & THE VAN DRIVER WERE KILLED. ONE TRUCKDRIVER RECEIVED A MINOR INJURY, & FOUR TRUCKDRIVERS WERE NOT INJURED.
Recommendation: THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE DOT: SPONSOR, IN COOPERATION WITH THE INTELLIGENT TRANPORTATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA, FLEET TESTING OF COLLISION WARNING TECHNOLOGY THROUGH PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS WITH THE COMMERCIAL CARRIER INDUSTRY. INCORPORATE TESTING RESULTS INTO DEMONSTRATION & TRAINING PROGRAMS TO EDUCATE THE POTENTIAL END-USERS OF THE SYSTEMS.
Original recommendation transmittal letter: PDF
Overall Status: Closed - Unacceptable Action
Mode: Highway
Location: Menifee, AR, United States
Is Reiterated: No
Is Hazmat: No
Is NPRM: No
Accident #: CRH95MH007
Accident Reports: Multiple Vehicle Collision with Fire during Fog near Milepost 118 on Interstate 40
Report #: HAR-95-03
Accident Date: 1/9/1995
Issue Date: 12/13/1995
Date Closed: 8/10/1999
Addressee(s) and Addressee Status: DOT (Closed - Unacceptable Action)
Keyword(s): Collision Warning Systems, Training and Education

Safety Recommendation History
From: NTSB
To: DOT
Date: 9/28/2010
Response: Written in the Miami, Oklahoma Accident Report (NTSB/HAR-10/02 PB2010-916202) The NTSB first discussed FCWS technology in a 1995 report concerning an investigation of a highway accident that occurred in fog in Menifee, Arkansas.181 In the Menifee accident report, the NTSB recommended, via Safety Recommendation H-95-44, that the DOT, In cooperation with the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, sponsor fleet testing of collision warning technology through partnership projects with the commercial carrier industry. Incorporate testing results into demonstration and training programs to educate the potential end-users of the systems. (H-95-44) Due to the time elapsed since the recommendation’s issuance and noting that industry had taken the lead in implementing the technology, the NTSB classified Safety Recommendation H-95-44 CLOSED -- UNACCEPTABLE ACTION on August 10, 1999.
From: NTSB
To: DOT
Date: 8/10/1999
Response: THE SAFETY BOARD UNDERSTANDS THAT THE DOT, THROUGH ITS INTELLIGENT VEHICLE INITIATIVE PROGRAM HAS ISSUED A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS TO CONDUCT FIELD TESTING OF COLLISION WARNING TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF NEWLY DEVELOPED ADVANCED SAFETY SYSTEMS. AS STATED IN OUR LETTER OF 8/11/97, THE BOARD FIRMLY BELIEVES THAT INDUSTRY-WIDE INCORPORATION OF ADVANCED SYSTEMS MUST BE PRECEDED BY INTENSIVE PRACTICAL TESTING IN COMMERCIAL FLEETS, EXTENSIVE DEMONSTRATION OF THE SYSTEM BENEFITS, AND COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING OF THE FINAL OPERATORS. BECAUSE OF THE TIME THAT HAS ELAPSED SINCE THIS RECOMMENDATION WAS ISSUED AND NOTING THAT THE INDUSTRY HAS TAKEN THE LEAD IN IMPLEMENTING THIS TECHNOLOGY, H-95-44 HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED "CLOSED--UNACCEPTABLE ACTION."
From: DOT
To: NTSB
Date: 4/20/1999
Response: Letter Mail Controlled 4/21/99 4:35:19 PM MC# 990439 SINCE DOT LAST COMMUNICATED WITH THE SAFETY BOARD ON THIS ISSUE, TESTING OF AN AUTONOMOUS ICC SYSTEM HAS BEEN COMPLETED. A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT ISSUES AND FINDINGS WERE UNCOVERED, WHICH ARE DETAILED IN THE ENCLOSED COPY OF THE FINAL REPORT ON THE PROGRAM. RECENTLY, THE DEPT., IN A ONE DOT EFFORT, WORKING WITH NHTSA, THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, AND THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, HAS MERGED VEHICLE FOCUSED INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS ACTIVITIES INTO A MULTIAGENCY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM CALLED THE INTELLIGENT VEHICLE INITIATIVE (IVI). IT IS FOCUSED ON ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT, AVAILABILITY, AND USE OF DRIVING ASSISTANCE AND CONTROL INTERVENTION SYSTEMS TO REDUCE MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES. FOUR MOTOR VEHICLE TYPES ARE INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM: PASSENGER, COMMERCIAL, TRANSIT, AND SPECIALTY. FOLLOWING RESEARCH AND COMMERCIAL IN REAL WORLD SETTINGS WILL BE DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONAL TESTING DONE. MINDFUL OF THE BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION ON THIS SUBJECT, THE DEPT. ISSUED A SOLICITATION ON 12/9/98, FOR PROPOSALS TO CONDUCT FIELD TESTING IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF NEWLY DEVELOPMENT ADVANCED SAFETY SYSTEMS. THE EVALUATION WILL INVOLVE THOROUGH TESTING IN REAL OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS TO DETERMINE THE PERFORMANCE OF SENSORS, PROCESSING ALGORITHMS, AND DRIVER-VEHICLE INTERFACES, ESPECIALLY THE DRIVER'S ABILITY TO EASILY UNDERSTAND AND EFFECTIVELY USE THE PROPOSED SAFETY SYSTEMS. PROPOSALS IN RESPONSE TO THIS INITIATION HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND ARE BEING EVALUATED. SOME OF THE PROPOSALS INVOLVE TESTING COLLISION-WARNING SYSTEMS ON COMMERCIAL VEHICLES. AWARDS TO WINNING APPLICANTS WILL BE MADE IN SEPTEMBER 1999.
From: NTSB
To: DOT
Date: 8/11/1997
Response: THE BOARD UNDERSTANDS THAT AS PART OF THE DOT'S INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS PROGRAM, THE NTHSA, IS CURRENTLY CONDUCTING AS OPERATIONAL TEST TO EVALUATE INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PASSENGER CARS. THE BOARD IS DISAPPOINTED, HOWEER, TO LEARN THAT THE DOT HAS NO PLANS FOR CONDUCTING AN OPERATIONAL TEST OF REAR-END COLLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEMS FOR HEAVY TRUCKS. THE BOARD FIRMLY BELIEVES THAT INDUSTRY-WIDE INCORPORATION OF ADVANCED SYSTEMS MUST BE PRECEDED BY INTENSIVE PRACTICAL TESTING IN COMMERCIAL FLEETS, EXTENSIVE DEMONSTRATION OF THE SYSTEM BENEFITS, & COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING OF THE FINAL OPERATORS. THE BOARD URGES THE DOT TO RECONSIDER ITS POSITION ON THIS MATTER & TO INCLUDE, IN DOT'S COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OPERATIONS PROGRAM, THE FLEET TESTING OF COLLISION WARNING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INDUSTRY WITHOUT DELAY. PENDING YOUR REVIEW OF OUR COMMENTS, H-95-44 HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED "OPEN--UNACCEPTABLE RESPONSE."
From: DOT
To: NTSB
Date: 4/10/1997
Response: THE DOT HAS NO PLANS FOR CONDUCTING AN OPERATIONAL TEST OF REAR END COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEMS FOR HEAVY TRUCKS. NHTSA IS CURRENTLY CONDUCTING AN OPERATIONAL TEST TO EVALUATE INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL (ICC) SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER CARS. THE PROGRAM IS ALSO INVESTIGATING SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE DRIVERS' VISION AT NIGHT & IN INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS, & AUTOMATICALLY NOTIFY EMERGENCY RSPONSE PERSONNEL IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION. THE ICC PROGRAM BEGAN IN SPETEMBER 1995 & IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER 1997.