Quarterly

VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1 January 2020

Report

THE NEWSLETTER OF USA TRAINING COMPANY INC.

Manipulating a cellphone was a

contributing factor in hundreds of crash

deaths on U.S. roads. Research indi-

cates the percentage of drivers ob-

served manipulating a phone rose from

2.3 percent in 2014 to 3.4 percent in

2018.

Recent surveys show drivers

were less likely to be seen simply

holding a cellphone or talking on a

hand-held phone than in the prior sur-

veys. Drivers are talking on hand-held

phones less - and fiddling with them

more often - than in recent years.

The problem of distracted driv-

ing, especially cellphone use, contin-

ues to raise concerns. A 2018 national

survey by AAA Foundation for Traf-

fic Safety found that 64 percent of

respondents consider distracted driv-

ing a much bigger problem today than

it was three years ago.

The latest data suggest that driv-

ers are using their phones in riskier

ways.

Cellphone use affects how driv-

ers scan and process information from

the roadway. Drivers generally take

their eyes off the road to dial, send

texts and browse the web on a hand-

held phone - all activities that fall

under the rubric of manipulating the

phone. Drivers engaged in cellphone

conversations tend to concentrate their

gaze toward the center of the road-

way, but their attention still may be

diverted from driving and make it dif-

ficult for them to process what they

are looking at.

Many drivers are:

Talking on hand-held

cellphones

Manipulating hand-held

cellphones (includes looking at phone

in mount)

Simply holding hand-held

cellphone (i.e. not obviously manipu-

lating or talking)

Wearing Bluetooth earpiece

or headset with mic

Wearing headphones or ear

buds

Manipulating in-vehicle system

(touching radio, climate control,

touchscreen display or other controls;

excludes operating stalks or buttons

on steering wheel)

Manipulating or holding mo-

bile electronic device other than

cellphone

Talking or singing

Driver cellphone interactionsEating or drinking

Smoking

Grooming

Other (reaching for object,

reading print material, adjusting sun

visor, putting on glasses, holding an-

other object)

When people talk about dis-

tracted driving, most often cellphones

are the focus, but drivers are dis-

tracted by other secondary behaviors

more often than cellphones. Things

as simple as drinking coffee or talking

to your kids can take your attention

away from the road.

About 14 percent of drivers

were engaged in nonphone-related

secondary behaviors in 2014 and

2018, which exceeded the proportion

of drivers seen using phones in both

Cont. on pg. 3, Cellphone interactions

Page 2

January 2020 Volume 28, Number 1

2020

IDC SCHEDULE(Instructor Development Course)

Saturday and Sunday

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. both days

$100.00

All classes will be held at

USA Headquarters,

8871 Tallwood Drive, Austin

January 25 & 26

March 28 & 29

May 30 & 31

July 25 & 26

September 26 & 27

November 21 & 22

Teenage truckers

2020

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

USA TRAININGUSA Training Company will be

closed on the following dates:

Jan. 1 (Wed.) - New Year's Day

Jan. 20 (Mon) - Martin Luther

King Jr. Day

Feb. 17 (Mon) - President's Day

Mar 2 (Mon) - Texas Independence

Day

April 10 (Fri) - Good Friday

May 25 (Mon) - Memorial Day

June 19 (Fri) - Emancipation Day

July 3 (Fri) - Independence Day

Holiday Observed

Aug 27 (Thurs) - LBJ's Birthday

Sept. 7 (Mon) - Labor Day

Oct. 12 (Mon) - Columbus Day

Nov. 11 (Wed) - Veteran's Day

Nov. 26 & 27 (Thurs/Fri) -

Thanksgiving

Dec. 23, 24, 25 (Wed / Thurs / Fri) -

Christmas Holidays

A renewed push is underway to put older teens behind the wheel of big

rigs on interstate highways.

The move comes amid fear of a driver shortage, and trucking industry

representatives along with some politicians believe that changing federal

safety rules by lowering the legal age for interstate truck drivers is a solution.

For decades, interstate truck drivers in the U.S. have had to be at least

21. Most states allow older teens - those 18 or 19 - and 20 year olds to drive

heavy trucks only inside state lines.

Knee airbags - NO!

How it works.... train horns

Airbags are lifesaving devices. More airbags, one might assume, would

provide greater protection.

Not so, a recent IIHS study shows. One increasingly common type of

airbag - the knee airbag - has a negligible effect on injury risk and, in fact, may

even increase it in some cases, researchers found.

One reason some manufacturers have been installing knee airbags is to

help vehicles pass federally mandated tests with unbelted dummies. It's

possible that knee airbags would help unbelted occupants in real-world

crashes. The study didn't look specifically at crashes in which people weren't

using seat belts, and dummies are always belted in IIHS vehicle ratings tests.

Federal law sets various requirements in regard to train and railroad

operations in Texas, includng how often and when trains have to blow their

horns. For example, train operators are required to sound horns at least 20

seconds before they approach a public road crossing, according to the Texas

Department of Transportation. Residents may also wonder why train conduc-

tors are required to blow horns when there are already automatic warning

signals at the intersection. Law requires engineers to blow the horn as the train

approaches and goes through the intersection, according to TxDOT.

However, there are loopholes. Certain communities may apply for quiet

zones if Federal Railroad Administration requirements are met, and trains will

not be able to sound their horns when passing through the zone.

SUVs no longer pose outsize riskToday's SUVs aren't a major threat to occupants of smaller vehicles.

Pickups, on the other hand, still represent an outsize danger when they crash

with cars. This represents a major shift since the 1990s when occupants of

cars and minivans were far more likely to die in crashes with SUVs than in

crashes with other cars and minivans.

The change is attributed to stronger structures and side airbags in cars

and minivans and to newer SUV designs that lowered the vehicle's front end

to better align with cars'.

Page 3

January 2020 Volume 28, Number 1

PRE-REGISTRATION FORMMANDATORY CONTINUING EDUCATION - RETRAIN

2020 SCHEDULE

PLEASE PRINT:

Name: __________________________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ____________________________________________________________________

Daytime Phone: __________________________________________________________________

Email: ___________________________________ Fax: _________________________________

Driver Safety Instructor Liense #________________________ DSI License Expires:___________

Check box for date you plan to attend:

Jan. 19, 2020 (Sun.).........HOUSTON, 3207 Mercer St. ....................................................... 4 pm - 6 pm

Jan. 26, 2020 (Sun.).........BEAUMONT, Fudruckers Restaurant, 4545 Dowlen Rd. ............... 3 pm - 5 pm

Feb. 7, 2020 (Fri.) ........... AUSTIN, 8871 Tallwood Dr. ............................................................. 11 am - 1 pm

April 3, 2020 (Fri.) .......... AUSTIN, 8871 Tallwood Dr. ............................................................. 11 am - 1 pm

April 18, 2020 (Sat.) ....... HOUSTON, Golden Corral Restaurant, 13145 Northwest Frwy. ..... 8:30am-10:30am

June 5, 2020 (Fri.) ........... AUSTIN, 8871 Tallwood Dr. ............................................................. 11 am - 1 pm

Please complete and mail this registration form along with your check for

$10 payable to "USA" to:

USA, 8871 Tallwood Dr., Austin, TX 78957

Make a copy for your records. Your check will not be deposited until you attend.

Registration forms must be at USA HQ NO LATER THAN 5 WORKING DAYS before the retrain

date so that materials can be prepared/shipped and to receive pre-paid registration price.

years. Relative to 2014, drivers were

more likely to be observed manipulat-

ing an in-vehicle system, grooming

themselves, or manipulating or hold-

ing an electronic device other than a

phone after researchers adjusted for

community, perceived driver gender

and age, time of day and roadway

situation.

Drivers in 2018 were less likely

to be talking or singing while driving

alone, smoking, or wearing headphones

or earbuds. The prevalence of eating

or drinking, talking or singing with a

passenger present, wearing a Bluetooth

device or engaging in some other vis-

ible secondary behavior wasn't sig-

nificantly different between 2014

and 2018.

There wasn't evidence of an

increase in distracted driving overall

between the 2014 and 2018 roadside

surveys. For cellphone- related dis-

traction in general, a continued shift

in the way people interact with the

devices as the technology evolves.

The percentage of crash deaths

related to distraction in recent years

has hovered at about 8-10 percent of

all crash deaths, data from the Na-

tional Highway Traffice Safety Ad-

ministration show. During the past

three years, distraction-affected crash

deaths have trended downward. The

number of fatalities in distraction-af-

fected crashes fell.

Fatality data likely underestimates

the number of deaths caused by dis-

tracted drivers. Despite efforts to de-

termine cellphone use by drivers in

crashes, such data continues to be

difficult to collect as they largely de-

pend on people truthfully telling law

enforcement officers what they were

doing or voluntarily handing over their

phones for inspection.

Cellphone interactions Cont. from page 1

Page 4

January 2020 Volume 28, Number 1

Instructor Expires Instructor Expires Instructor Expires

STEPS FOR USA DSC INSTRUCTOR RENEWAL

1) Complete the 1-page Instructor Renewal form received from TDLR. TDLR will mail to the address they have

on file for you, so it is important to contact USA with any address, phone or email changes.

2) Instructors will receive verification of RETRAIN / Mandatory Continuing Education at the end of the RETRAIN

class. Attach the Verification of CE (pink certificate) to your completed Instructor Renewal. TDLR will only process

Instructor Renewals with CE Verification attached.

3) Attach fee ($25) payable to TDLR if postmarked before or by expiration date. If after expiration date, refer to

fee scale on your renewal form or contact USA if you have questions. You cannot teach if your license is expired.

4) Mail to USA, 8871 Tallwood Drive, Austin, TX 78759. (do NOT mail directly to TDLR).

Check the expiration date of your USA DSC Instructor license. IMPORTANT: TDLR should mail Instructor

Renewal directly to you sixty (60) days prior to your expiration date. If you do not receive a renewal from TDLR,

contact USA immediately.

Submit your Instructor Renewal form with Verification of Continuing Education to USA postmarked NO LATER

than license expiration date. Preferably 30-45 days pior to expiration). You can not teach if your license expires

-- so plan ahead.

Keep a copy of your renewal form, check to TDLR and Verification of CE.

Please call USA at 512-346-2132 with any questions.

EMERGENCY

CONTACT

In the event USA is

experiencing trouble

with our phone

network, scan your

requests and email to

lbagwell@usatraining.com

License Renewals (Fee: $25)

Alvarez, Arturo 1-Jan

Acosta, Jorge 11-Feb

Adams, Dale 28-Feb

Ayala, Alex 4-Jan

Barrington, Kimberly 16-Mar

Barron, Ruth 7-Feb

Bourne, Guy 11-Jan

Cook, Jerome 9-Mar

Eicker, Jerry 20-Mar

Garcia, John L. 28-Mar

Harris, Debra 16-Mar

Herrera, Victor 15-Feb

Hill, Terry Lee 16-Feb

Housler, Conrad 20-Mar

Iqbal, Mohammad 6-Feb

Kolthoff, Shirley 31-Jan

Livingston, Jacqueline 9-Feb

McClurg, Christopher 28-Mar

McKay, Lisa 21-Mar

McMinn, Marion 17-Feb

Mitchell, Lee 1-Feb

Miyauchi, Richard 30-Jan

Onaiwu, Monday 23-Mar

Pool , John 10-Mar

Reed, Charles 22-Jan

Roberts, Queen 5-Mar

Salazar, Yamilet 8-Jan

Serna, Daniel 26-Feb

Springli, Joseph 24-Feb

Swanson, Gladys 21-Feb

Taylor, Bryan 11-Mar

Tobias, J.D. 11-Feb

Tran, Diana 7-Feb

Vera, George 28-Mar

Walker , Shirley 2-Feb

USA TRAINING COMPANY INC.

8871 Tallwood Dr.

CEO President

Janis Helm Cartwright Phil H. Ward

Staff

Lorie Bagwell Sue Decker Sarah Jacobs

Phone: 512-346-2132 Fax: 512-346-0431

DID YOU KNOW?Something all Texans should know, especially since

this received very little or no publicity, is that our Texas

driver's license has a phone number on the back just below

the top barcode, labeled

TEXAS ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

1-800-525-5555

(It's VERY SMALL PRINT, but it's there!)

This number can be called for FREE emergency

assistance on the highway or wherever you might have

trouble while in your car. A service truck will be sent to

you. This service is state operated, paid for with your tax

dollars.

If you are ever

stranded, just call the num-

ber on your driver's li-

cense... help is on the way.

A state trooper will be sent

to make sure all is well.

This information is worth

passing on to everyone, es-

pecially to women.