Congress is working on a bill that would continue the underfunding of road maintenance and repair while loosening safety regulations for big trucks. From the New York Times:
“…The legislation would authorize federal spending on transportation projects for six years but provide only enough money to last the first three years, or $325 billion….
The House bill also contains provisions that would undoubtedly lead to more deadly accidents. One would prevent the Department of Transportation from publishing the safety ratings of trucking and bus companies. Another would make it harder for the department to raise the minimum insurance requirements for trucks and buses that were last set in 1985.
The bill would also allow people as young as 19 years, 6 months old to drive trucks across state lines, down from 21 now. Given the higher accident rates of teenage drivers, this change makes no sense….”