Earlier this month, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported that the National Transportation Safety Board finally released its official written report on the 2010 Kentucky truck accident that left 11 people dead. This means that after more than a year-and-a-half, the investigation into the fatal trucking accident is finally closed.

The final report, which was 85 pages long, included the recommendation released about a month ago saying that commercial vehicle drivers should be banned from using a cell phone while driving. This recommendation came after the NTSB concluded that the Kentucky accident was caused by a negligent truck driver who was distracted by his cell phone.

Reportedly, the NTSB's final report also recommended that Kentucky and several other states pass laws that require seatbelts to be worn by passengers riding in 15-person vans. The NTSB concluded that had accident victims been wearing seatbelts, "some injuries might have been mitigated."

Additionally, the report took issue with how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration dealt with the trucking company that owned the truck involved in the crash. It said that the trucking company was shut down following the accident, but then continued to operate under another name, which went unnoticed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The fatal accident occurred on March 26, 2010 when the 18-wheeler crossed the median on Interstate 65, about 75 miles south of Louisville, and collided with a passenger van carrying 10 members of a Kentucky Mennonite community that were traveling to a wedding in Iowa. The driver of the truck was also killed in the accident.

Ultimately, the NTSB concluded that the 45-year-old truck driver from Alabama had made or received 69 calls or text messages while driving in the 24 hours before the tragic accident. He had been on his cell phone when he lost control of the truck and let it cross the median, the NTSB concluded.

The NTSB is only allowed to make recommendations, not law, so it will be up to the individual states to adopt legislation banning cell phone use by drivers of commercial vehicles. Hopefully this is something the Kentucky legislature takes under serious consideration.

Source: The Louisville Courier-Journal, "NTSB releases final report on fatal I-65 crash," Brett Barrouquere, Oct. 12, 2011.