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Transportation May 06, 2008 Fatal RV flaws An investigation into RV safety by Chris Halsne, of KIRO (Seattle, Wash.), found that the government only requires "front-end crash and brake tests for the empty chassis." Data analysis revealed that many fatalities in RV accidents are the result of poorly secured interior elements, braking problems, and the weak structural integrity of the fiberglass and wood frames. In response to the investigation, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association said, "NHTSA (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) hasn't crash tested finished motor homes because they are fundamentally safe — there simply haven't been enough deaths to warrant the cost of purchasing and testing these types of vehicles." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 29, 2008 Investigation uncovers flammable wiring on airplanes A nine-month investigation by Phil Williams of NewsChannel 5 (Nashville, Tenn.) shows that the wiring used on many planes "should not be used for airborne application." Both Kapton and PVC/Nylon wiring have been proven highly flammable, yet both are currently found on airliners. Test videos revealing issues with these types of wire came from the Federal Aviation Administration's own files. A scientific report from the FAA's own experts deemed it unfit for use on aircraft. All of the recently grounded MD-80 planes contain Kapton wiring. A complete listing of which aircraft have Kapton and PVC/Nylon wiring can be found on the station's website. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 07, 2008 Tired pilots raise safety concerns Anne Yeager and KNXV-Phoenix investigators found pilots who admitted to falling asleep while flying and who pointed to their schedules as the cause. On the day the report aired, the Federal Aviation Administration announced an investigation into two pilots who could have been asleep at the controls in Hawaii. According to the report, "FAA rules allow a pilot to work a 16 hour day as long as that person has eight hours of rest before flying again." Air Line Pilots Association President John Prater says the eight hours of rest doesn't mean eight hours of sleeping. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 07, 2008 "Dangerous Drivers" Kevin Wack of the Portland Press Herald investigated the impact that drivers with suspended licenses are having on Maine roads. His series explores the dangers they pose and how efforts to address the problem are falling short. "The newspaper analyzed records from about 160,000 motor-vehicle crashes that occurred from 2003 to 2006 using a statewide database obtained through Maine's Freedom of Access Act; examined hundreds of individual driving records; and interviewed scores of motorists, victims, traffic safety researchers, policymakers and law enforcement officials." Accidents involving drivers with suspended licenses are six times more likely to be fatal; four times more likely to lead to an "incapacitating injury"; and 10 times more likely to involve alcohol or drugs. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 04, 2008 Over 17,000 bridges nationwide are overdue for inspection An investigation by MSNBC.com's Bill Dedman shows that at least 17,000 bridges went more than two years between inspections, despite the federal law requiring an inspection every 24 months. The investigation was based on newly released data from the Federal Bridge Inventory which includes inspections through 2006. "Although Congress in 1971 ordered rigorous standards for inspecting bridges every 24 months, the records reveal a system in which the buck is passed down from federal to state to local governments, without penalty for those that fail to protect the public." The investigative package includes an interactive tracker which allows the reader to map the status of bridges on their own frequently travelled routes. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 05, 2007 No-Fly Fiasco Deborah Sherman of KUSA-Denver looked into U.S. government's No-Fly List and found thousands of innocent travelers who have trouble getting on airplanes nationwide because they're misidentified as terrorists. While people snagged by false matches are forced to arrive hours early at airports to be cleared, a new government report found terrorists on the list are still getting on airplanes. Sherman found that a new program to fix those problems, called Secure Flight, has cost taxpayers $200 million so far and may leave participating passengers vulnerable to identity theft. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 02, 2007 Drug-testing loopholes a national problem An investigation by Jeff Ballion of KMSP-Minneapolis earlier this year exposed drug-testing loopholes that allow abusers to stay behind the wheel of commercial trucks. Their report prompted an investigation by the Government Accountability Office. The results of the GAO report were the focus of a congressional hearing this week. The study found that these loopholes in drug testing are a nationwide problem. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 31, 2007 Fatalities greatest on San Joaquin Valley's rural roads Brad Branan of The Fresno Bee looked at federal highway safety data to find that the majority of fatal accidents in the San Joaquin Valley occur on rural roads. "These roads are riskier than city roads, in part because motorists travel them at higher speeds. But the central San Joaquin Valley faces additional problems, including roads that don't meet safety standards and limited traffic enforcement." The U.S. Dept. of Transportation's FARS data Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database is available from the IRE and NICAR database library. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 29, 2007 One-third of S. Florida gas pumps inaccurate A report by Mc Nelly Torres of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel shows that 34 percent of gas pumps in South Florida failed accuracy tests over the past three years. "The analysis found 580 of more than 2,500 stations in South Florida had at least one pump dispensing more gas than customers paid to purchase, while 477 provided less fuel than they should." A database of gas pump inspections is included online. There is also a map of those stations which failed 10 or more pump tests over three years. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 12, 2007 No Slowing Down Some models of 2007 Toyota Tacoma trucks have an apparent problem with acceleration, according to a report by Jeremy Finley of WSMV-Nashville. Drivers have said that when they depress the brake pedal, the car instead speeds up, and "Channel 4 found a growing number of drivers who have had problems with the vehicle, which has prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to start conducting tests on the model." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 18, 2007 Railroads of Neglect A Blue Line train bounced off its track and derailed in a fire that sent 1,000 passengers running for their lives in July 2006. Jon Hilkevitch and Monique Garcia of the Chicago Tribune read thousands of pages of investigative files and transcribed interviews of Chicago Transit Authority workers after the accident. Their story describes the gross lack of management and oversight by the nation's second-largest transit system, including interviews with workers who say they wrote their concerns on the walls of the subway because their superiors did not want to hear about the hazardous conditions. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 10, 2007 Flex-Fuel fleet remains shrouded in secrecy Kimberly Kindy, reporting for the San Jose Mercury News and the Sacramento bureau of MediaNews, adds more on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempts to create a fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles, which earned him international recognition but also handed a single-source contract to General Motors, a longtime political supporter. The latest story describes how the governor's administration has repeatedly refused to release documents that reveal the level of its involvement in crafting this fleet. In July, Kindy reported that the "green" cars still burn normal gasoline because they have no access to the cleaner ethanol blend, E85. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 05, 2007 Repair funds not keeping up with aging bridges In the wake of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Patrick Garmoe of the Duluth News Tribune reported on how age has affected bridges in the St. Louis County area of Minnesota. As the costs of repairing the bridges increased, 11 bridges in St. Louis County have been rated "fracture-critical" and at risk of collapse. The News Tribune also reported on guidelines drafted by the county for determining when a bridge should be closed. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 27, 2007 57 Philadelphia area bridges "deficient" Paul Nussbaum and Dylan Purcell of The Philadelphia Inquirer report that nearly 60 bridges in the Philadelphia area are rated structurally "deficient" with traffic on those bridges ranging from 25,000 to 160,000 vehicles daily. Six thousand bridges are rated "deficient" in Pennsylvania, the greatest number in the nation. Included in their report is an interactive map of bridges in the Philadelphia area with details about each. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 13, 2007 Wis. trucking firm fined twice for false logbooks Rick Romell of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzed federal records and reviewed hundreds of pages of documents to find that JDC Logistics Inc., a Franklin, Wis., firm has been among the most heavily fined trucking companies in the country. Logbook falsification by truckers at the 589-driver firm was so widespread, federal auditors discovered last August, that the company was slapped with a $92,000 fine. That followed a $63,000 fine in 2004 for many of the same problems. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Ohio bridges at risk The Columbus Dispatch examined each of the 35 bridges over the Ohio River connecting Ohio to neighboring Kentucky and West Virginia. Reporter Randy Ludlow discovered that seven are rated as structurally deficient. That group includes three of the four bridges owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The investigation revealed that highway officials have plans to close one bridge when the temperature drops to 5 below zero. The steel of the old bridge becomes so brittle in bitter cold that engineers fear it could fracture, raising the possibility of the span toppling. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 07, 2007 Baltimore aims to avoid bridge disaster, repairs started Following the collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis, Tisha Thompson of WMAR-TV (Baltimore, Md.) evaluated federal inspection reports and found that over 300 bridges in Maryland are "structurally deficient" some with holes in the deck and, in one case, two-by-fours holding up a section of a major bridge. In Baltimore County, the replacement process has started on about 10 bridges. This map shows the bridges eligible for replacement in the greater Baltimore area. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post A look at Arizona's "structurally deficient" bridges Lisa Fletcher and Dan Siegel of ABC-15's I-Team look at the safety ratings of bridges in Arizona. In the state, 107 bridges are rated as "structurally deficient and in need of major repairs." Along with ASU civil engineering professor, Ed Kavazanjian, they looked at several of the bridges, analyzing what could hasten structural demise of some of the compromised bridges. Information on the bridges, listed by county, can be found here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 02, 2007 Bridge data adds context to collapse Following the collapse of an I-35 bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, journalists turned to the National Bridge Inventory database, available from IRE and NICAR, to check the bridge's inspection history. The Saint Paul Pioneer Press. and The Star Tribune reported that inspection data from 2005 showed that the Minnesota Department of Transportation deemed the bridge "structurally deficient." The Pioneer Press also noted a federal report's finding that Minnesota ranked high in overall bridge safety with 3 percent of its bridges rated deficient in 2006. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 19, 2007 Political speed zones Sarah Okeson of Florida Today looked into a new law that sets up enhanced penalty zones in which drivers who speed get higher fines. Reviewing more than 1 million crashes in Florida from 2002 to 2005, she found that the speed zones aren't located in areas with the highest rates of speed-related crashes. The state officials in charge of the program didn't calculate the rates for speed-related crashes using numbers for how much traffic was on the roads. The law set up the zones in counties where the bill's top supporters lived. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 25, 2007 Inspections at the pumps thwart consumer fraud In a time of rising gas prices, Eric Morath of The Detroit News brings some good news: increased inspections have reduced likelihood of consumers being cheated at the pump. In 2006, there were more inspections of Michigan pumps than the previous three years combined, leading to detection of 1,358 faulty meters and $250,000 in fines. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Danger in Tow: An investigation into U-Haul International A year-long investigation by Myron Levin and Alan C. Miller of the Los Angeles Times reveals that practices of U-Haul International, the nation's largest provider of rental trailers, are compromising safety on the road. The three-part series explores how U-Haul policies increase likelihood of accidents; spotty maintenance practices; and how, when sued, U-Haul has a history of losing or spoiling evidence. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 15, 2007 Speeders more deadly than drunk drivers While alcohol-related accidents and deaths may receive more attention, speed-related accidents kill more people — about 10 each week — in North Carolina, according to a The News & Observer report by Pat Stith, Mandy Locke and David Raynor."But while state legislators and court officials have gotten tough on drunken drivers, they have eased up on speeders." Database editor Raynor analyzed 3.4 million speeding cases from the state court system, plus a decade of highway patrol citations and state motor vehicle data. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post ATVs: Deceptively Dangerous An in-depth special report by The Oregonian explores the dangers of ATVs. "Over the past decade, the machines have soared in popularity, with 7.6 million in use. The result: Record numbers of riders end up in emergency rooms and morgues as accidents kill about 800 people a year and injure an estimated 136,700." The multimedia report includes myriad documents and video footage detailing the reality of ATV safety issues and concerns. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 30, 2007 Undercover agents sneak bomb past TSA screeners Deborah Sherman of KUSA-Denver reports that "Checkpoint security screeners at Denver International Airport last month failed to find liquid explosives packed in carry-on luggage and also improvised explosive devices, or IED's, worn by undercover agents, sources told 9NEWS." The agents testing the TSA security were part of the "Red Team," a group of covert agents organized in 1988 by the Federal Aviation Administration. Since 2003, they have investigated security measures at 735 airports. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 26, 2007 One third of fatal accidents linked to shady driving records Sarah Okeson of Florida Today investigated Brevard County drivers involved in fatal accidents, specifically looking at drivers charged with DUI manslaughter or vehicular homicide between 2000 and 2006. She found that more than a third of them didn't have a valid license to be on the road at the time of the wreck, had a prior conviction for DUI, or had been convicted of at least five traffic violations in the three years prior to the fatal accident. The investigation also revealed problems with coordination between courts and the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in dealing with high-risk drivers. Note: IRE and NICAR Database Library offers data from the Dept. of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, or FARS, database. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 22, 2007 Loopholes allow abusers to slip through system Based on a tip from viewers, Jeff Ballion of KMSP-Minneapolis investigated drug testing facilities around the Twin Cities. A Fox 9 producer went undercover for a Department of Transportation drug test and found that four of the five facilities visited did not measure up to the DOT's strict guidelines for drug testing. Compliance failures create loopholes that potentially allow drug users to get DOT jobs behind the wheel and out on the road. As a result of the investigation, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, called for an investigation to determine if these drug testing problems found in Minnesota are widespread. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 15, 2007 Motorcycle fatalities increasing in Brevard County Jeff Schweers and Sarah Okeson of Florida Today looked at motorcycle fatalities in Brevard County and found that more than twice as many people were killed in 2006 as in 2000, and the county could top that this year. There are now twice as many bikers on Florida highways as there were five years ago. Contributing factors to the fatalities include speed, not wearing a helmet, and drinking. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 27, 2007 More tired truckers on South Carolina roads Andy Pierrotti of WCBD-Charleston looked at every South Carolina truck accident report that noted a fatigued or sleeping truck driver as a contributing factor. He discovered a 75 percent increase in such crashes from 2001 to 2005. Those fatigued drivers contributed to 158 accidents that killed nine people and left more than 100 injured. "Despite property damage, loss of life, and injuries, only 42 percent of those tired truckers were never ticketed." State transport police say the biggest problem with tired truckers in the state lies in the number of interstate rest stops. There are simply not enough rest stops in South Carolina for truckers to park and sleep. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 05, 2007 Politics play into road fund allocation Richard Rubin of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer investigated how politics determine how money is allocated from a North Carolina road fund. "The $15 million contingency fund is controlled largely by legislative leaders who distribute it to their colleagues' districts, and their own, without a comprehensive analysis of traffic, safety or population, according to an Observer investigation." The structure of the fund has come under criticism by those who feel the money is unfairly distributed, while its proponents believe it is an important resource for smaller communities. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 29, 2007 Iowa drivers dodge high fines, license penalties The Des Moines Register used data on driving-related offenses in Iowa to identify 78,000 people who owe at least $500 in fines. Reporter Lee Rood and data analyst Michael Corey found "The outstanding debt that all Iowans owe for everything from overdue speeding tickets to drunk driving fines to law enforcement surcharges is at a record high: $438.7 million." With stiff state penalties, the rate of sanctions against drivers' licenses have nearly doubled in 10 years. The online package also includes video and a searchable database of drivers who owe fines. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 11, 2006 Road Hazards The Dallas Morning News has conducted a year-long investigation into safety issues plaguing the trucking industry in Texas. The final installment of the series focuses on felons in the workforce, harsh working conditions that make trucking a dangerous job, and the industry's political influence in shaping safety laws and regulations. The Department of Transportation's Truck Inspection data can be obtained from the IRE and NICAR Database Library. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 22, 2006 "Precious Cargo" revisited Following the recent school bus fatalities in Alabama, Phil Williams and the investigative team at WTVF-Nashville updated their extensive investigation into bus safety and the issue of seat belts on buses. Their findings remain timely a year after the first stories aired. The online package includes recent updates, extensive background documents and a 30-minute documentary. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 21, 2006 Millions lost is ferry debacle Steve Orr, of the (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle, investigates the failed project for a high-speed ferry intended to operate between Rochester and Toronto. Orr "reveals a troubling trail of political maneuvering, lax oversight and lack of follow-through" - issues that cost state taxpayers $14 million. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 16, 2006 "Caltrans: Road to Nowhere" A watchdog report by Kimberly Kindy and Natalya Shulyakovskaya of The Orange County Register looks at how the California Department of Transportation "has repeatedly displaced property owners for highway projects that went nowhere -- from the abandoned widening of Pacific Coast Highway through Orange County to Hayward’s failed freeway loop near the San Francisco Bay. Along the way, Caltrans used eminent domain to buy thousands of homes and businesses it didn’t need, holding onto them for decades." This has resulted in neglected and abandoned proprerties all over the state of California. In addition to unnecessarily displaced families, these failed projects have resulted in millions in lost tax revenue for the state. Shulyakovskaya includes a detailed description of the data analysis done for this story. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 18, 2006 'Road Hazards' examines Texas truck safety Holly Becka, Gregg Jones, Jennifer LaFleur, and Steve McGonigle of The Dallas Morning News obtained and analyzed federal and state truck inspection and investigation records, accident reports and court records to show that trucking companies rarely take blame in fatal crashes. "They hire illegal immigrants who struggle to read road signs and communicate in English with police and emergency personnel. " The investigation also found that when accidents occur, trucking companies defend their drivers and often blame the other vehicles - and in many cases the dead occupants - regardless of the evidence. They typically fight any release of information about their drivers and vehicles, and wage protracted legal battles to avoid blame. NOTE: DOT Truck Accident, Truck Census and Truck Inspection data is available from the IRE and NICAR Database Library. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 11, 2006 Indiana boaters lack safety skills With Fourth of July revelers bound for the lakes, Marc Chase of The Times of Northwest Indiana wrote, A Times' computerized analysis of U.S. Coast Guard recreational boating accident records for Lake and Porter counties between 1995 and 2004 shows the circumstances involved in the three cases are largely the rule, not the exception, when it comes to mishaps on region waterways." He also noted a "bottleneck problem that resulted in a disporportionate number of accidents on Indiana's relatively limited coastlines. The data used in this series is available from the IRE and NICAR database library. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Lax regulations compromise safety of cargo flight industry In a 9-month investigation, The Miami Herald uncovered inaccuracies regarding the government's reporting of the frequency of fatal cargo crashes. Through the analysis of extensive government documents dating back to 2000, the reporters found that 69 planes have crashed claiming the lives of 85 people, thus "making air cargo the nation's deadliest form of commercial aviation." Despite this fact, pleas to apply more stringent safety regulations on cargo flights have been ignored. Worse yet, when these lax safety standards result in fatal crashes, the pilots are often saddled with the blame. (NOTE: The FAA's accidents and incidents data is available to journalists from the IRE and NICAR Database Library.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 12, 2006 NY boat operators without training increase risk John Ferro of the Poughkeepsie Journal analyzed the Coast Guard's recreational boating accident database and found that "the rate of boating accidents in New York involving operators who never received any kind of formal safety training has consistently exceeded the national average." In 2004, the rate was 57 percent, the highest since 1996. New York's rate is well above the national rate, which has declined steadily. Overall, the number of boating accidents and deaths is declining, both across the country and in New York. Read more stories about boating safety: Being informed benefits boaters and Bills seek stricter education requirements for boat operators. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 08, 2006 Planes dangerously close in Canadian skies Robert Cribb, Fred Vallance-Jones and Tamsin McMahon of The Toronto Star analyzed the aviation data and found that "more than 80,000 passengers have been put at risk over the last five years when airplanes they were travelling in came dangerously close together in Canadian skies." Between 2001 and mid-2005, there were more than 800 incidents in which planes got too close to each other. "The investigation found a safety system straining at the seams. Experts — pilots, mechanics, airline workers and people who study aviation data — warn significant changes must be made to prevent a major catastrophe." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 31, 2006 Motorcycle fatalities on rise; helmet laws repealed Thomas Hargrove of Scripps Howard News Service studied records provided by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and found "deaths in U.S. motorcycle crashes have nearly doubled in a decade, mounting to 4,000 annually, as more states have repealed mandatory helmet safety laws." The analysis of 2004 federal accident data showed that "the per capita rate of motorcycle fatalities in 2004 was 41 percent greater in states that do not require helmets for adult motorcyclists." The story notes that motorcyclists have "formed powerful state and national lobbies, persuaded Congress to muzzle federal highway safety experts and convinced lawmakers in 30 states to roll back their statutes." Hargrove also found that "an unusually large number of divorced middle-age men are dying in motorcycle accidents." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 25, 2006 Sleepy truckers cause crashes, don't get ticketed Nancy Amons of WSMV-Nashville analyzed truck accident reports statewide over the past five years and found that "64 crashes where a trucker who was listed as 'apparently asleep' injured or killed someone. In 70 percent of those cases, the trucker never got a ticket." Analysis of another database of Department of Safety inspection reports found that in three years, more than 1900 truck drivers were cited for driving over the allowable number of hours. A recent federal study found that when a trucker causes a crash, 13 percent of the time it is because he is fatigued. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 14, 2006 Ohio fails to report buses use of dangerous railroad crossings Duane Pohlman of WEWS-Cleveland used state records to show Ohio had failed to mention in federal records that certain school buses drive through railroad crossing that have no gates, alarms or warning signs on them. The investigation found the state of Ohio was purposely not mentioning the crossings to aviod spending money installing the gates, which cost as much as $150,000 per crossing. "However, studies have shown that gates make railroad crossings as much as 90 percent safer. " Thousands of school kids could be in danger riding the school bus to and from school each day. A follow-up story says Congressman Dennis Kucinich plans to deliver copies of the report to the U.S. secretary of transportation and members of Congress. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 29, 2006 Nev. rural emergency services face challenges Reporters Steve Timko, Jason Hidalgo and Jim Sloan of the Reno Gazette-Journal examine rural emergency services in Nevada. Timko used data from the Department of Transportation's Fatal Accident Reporting System to identify Nevada's deadliest roads. Other stories in the series look at ambulance response times — finding they are the worst in the country &mdash and the aging equipment used by EMS crews. (Editor's note: For those interested in doing similar stories using FARS data, it is available to journalists through the IRE and NICAR Database Library.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 09, 2006 Tenn. Medicaid pays for most expensive transportation Nancy Amons of WSMV-Nashville investigated Tennessee's TennCare (Medicaid) rides program and found that millions of dollars may have been wasted. The investigation found the program assigning patient trips to the most expensive companies, even though that is against its own regulations. "Taxpayers have been overpaying by 40% or more for some trips simply because TennCare used companies that charged a high rate per mile instead of companies that charged less." For instance, Sunshine Transportation, one of the biggest providers in the state, was overlooked in favor of a competitor who charged 50 cents more per mile. The state is revamping the program and putting the brakes on a system they admit is out of control. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 07, 2006 Data shows most dangerous highways in NY, NJ Brendan Keefe of WCBS-New York investigated highways in New York and New Jersey to determine which were the most dangerous ones. "In 2004, there were 21 fatalities on Interstate 80, 35 on the New Jersey Turnpike and 42 on the Garden State Parkway." New York's worst roads for highway deaths: Interstate 87 — 17 dead. State Route 5, upstate — 24 dead, and on Long Island, Sunrise Highway — 22 dead. Statistically, some roads appeared to be more dangerous than others. But those same statistics show that in three out of four crashes, the human element is the primary cause. (Editor's note: Megan Means of the IRE and NICAR Database Library assisted with the data analysis for this story.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 02, 2006 Lack of tough measures result in deaths Gregg Jones and Doug Swanson of The Dallas Morning News use a fatal 2004 truck accident near Dallas to illustrate many of the problems in the trucking industry. Miroslaw Jozwiak, a Polish immigrant, plowed the commercial truck he was driving into incoming traffic in 2004, killing 10 people, including three children. The investigation found that since interstate shipping was deregulated in the 1980s, the number of trucking and bus companies has soared from 230,000 in 1990 to more than 677,000 in 2004. "Competition among these companies has transformed the trucking industry into a magnet for immigrants, felons and others with poor employment prospects. It has also produced punishing conditions for truckers, many of whom are paid by the mile. " The political clout of the trucking lobby and of big retailers has helped block tougher laws to police the business. As a result, industry experts and watchdog groups say, untold legions of truckers work unsafe hours, or operate faulty equipment that inspectors fail to curb, or continue driving despite numerous traffic violations, or wipe out innocent people who try to share the road. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 14, 2006 Highway plan too costly to execute Tim Darragh of The Morning Call investigated why the move to widen a local highway, Route 22, seemed highly unlikely, despite the backing of several powerful groups. "The widening plan has backers that include those who lobbied for and got construction of such landmark road projects as the completion of Route 33 from the Poconos south through the Lehigh Valley." The biggest hurdle to widening Route 22 is the project's enormous cost, which was estimated at $776 million in 2001, is already tens of millions of dollars more expensive because of inflation. The other problems inlude eminent domain, more pressing needs and a change in philosophy at the state Department of Transportation. The investigation also showed ways to improve the highway that would cost less and be completed sooner. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 06, 2006 Kansas City speeders plead to lower offenses Michael Mansur of The Kansas City Star used computer-assisted analysis of court records to show the court repeatedly allows thousands of speeders and red-light runners to reduce dangerous moving violations to defective-equipment pleas. That means tickets for serious violations are pleaded down to offenses such as broken taillights, which means no points against a driver's record. The legal tactic — called "buying points" — is common in the metro area, but is spinning out of control in Kansas City, resulting in problem drivers continuing to speed, even when their licenses should be suspended or revoked. "Currently, a driver older than 21 who hires an attorney and agrees to pay a slightly higher fine can get two defective-equipment reductions in a calendar year. That allows some of the worst drivers to get as many as four in a 12-month period — such as two in December and two in January — without any questions. " One driver used the tactic six times in one year, the paper found, while 250 did it three times or more. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 30, 2006 Miami transit OT draining county budget Jack Dolan, Larry Lebowitz and Scott Hiaasen of The Miami Herald analyzed local payroll data to find that “transit overtime pay — which is 1.5 times as high as regular hourly rates and cost taxpayers more than $129 million over the last five years — is a long-standing drain on county funds that has persisted despite decades of promises from county officials to bring it under control.” The paper found dozens of county bus and train operators who double their pay via overtime work. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 24, 2006 Loopholes put school bus drivers with violations on roads Brad Branan of the Tucson Citizen used court records to show that Arizona school bus drivers with criminal records or multiple moving violations are escaping state regulatory enforcement and putting children and other motorists at risk. The investigation found that drivers with criminal records or multiple traffic violations are among the most accident prone at Tucson-area school districts. "A Vail Unified School District driver — one of two school bus drivers to transport students while under the influence of drugs or alcohol last school year — was state certified despite numerous traffic violations and a license suspension." The investigation found a number of loopholes in the state system for licensing and certifying school bus drivers including that a school bus driver has to commit two DUIs or other major traffic offenses in a personal vehicle to automatically lose his bus license and that the Arizona Department of Public Safety doesn't check for criminal backgrounds after a driver is certified. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 07, 2005 Trains carry dangerous cargo through neighborhoods Phil Pitchford, Ben Goad, David Danelski, Mark Kawar and projects editor Cathy Armstrong of The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise examine the safety issues surrounding trains carrying hazardous cargo as they travel through populated areas. "Every day, trains hauling tons of hazardous chemicals roll past Inland homes, schools, hospitals and businesses." The newspaper says residents are "largely unprepared for a large-scale chemical spill along a rail line" while chances of such an incident are increasing. "More than 1.5 million Inland residents live close enough to railroad tracks to be at risk from a serious spill, according to a recent analysis using geographic information systems technology from Redlands-based ESRI." (Editor's Note: IRE and NICAR offer the Hazardous Materials Incident Report Subsystem, maintained by the Department of Transportation. It includes incident reports of unintentional releases of hazardous materials for all modes of transportation — air, highway, railway, and water.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 11, 2005 Banned drivers flout law in Va. Bill Burke and David Gulliver of The Virginian-Pilot used local court data to show that " from 2000 to 2004 in Hampton Roads, 42,606 people were convicted of driving on a suspended or revoked license, according to an analysis of court records." More than 4,600 people were found guilty three or more times, and some had more than 10 convictions. Though more than a dozen states have recognized the problem in recent years and taken actions to remove violators from the road, Virginia has no such initiatives, instead eliminating judges' most powerful weapon for punishing chronic suspended-driving offenders — the state’s habitual offender statute. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 04, 2005 Camera system ineffective in reducing accidents Matthew Benson of the Fort Collins Coloradoan analyzed a decade of accident data to show the ineffectiveness of the camera system at reducing red-light running and preventing collisions. The number of accidents and accident rates, at a certain intersection in Fort Collins, Colo., have steadily increased in the years since the city installed a system in 1997. "The investigation found that the rate of accidents per 1 million vehicles entering the intersection climbed from 1.31 in 1994 to 2.4 last year. " The intersection remains the city's second most dangerous in terms of the accident rate. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 13, 2005 Unlicensed drivers responsible for deadly accidents in Va. Bill Burke, with contributions from David Gulliver, of The Virginian-Pilot report that with swelling illegal migrant populations in Va., rogue vehicles being driven by unlicensed drivers have been responsible for a string of deadly accidents . "Since 2002, more than 90 people have been injured and 18 killed on the Eastern Shore in accidents involving Hispanic workers driving rogue vehicles. "Tennessee's lax registration regulations enable several migrants to get Tennessee tags because Tennessee does not require identification or proof of insurance when a vehicle is titled and plates are issued, as long as the motorist pays cash. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Metro officials spend excessively on travel in Mich. Steve Neavling of The Bay City Times reviewed records to show that the Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority has spent about $200,000 since 1999 on airfare, lodging, rental cars, valet parking, out-of-town meals and other travel expenses. These expenses came at a time when the agency was forced to reduce the schedules of bus routes and offered employees an early-retirement buyout to trim a $320,000 deficit. "The review of Bay Metro records is part of a Times ongoing examination of travel and meal expenses incurred by public agencies in Bay County. The first story revealed that the county's Road Commission spent more than $75,000 since 2001 on meals and travel expenses. " Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 20, 2005 S.C. port authority operates like a business Michael R. Shea of The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette delved into the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the state agency that manages "the fourth-largest waterborne shipping network in the country through marine terminals in Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal, South Carolina." The stories show that political contributions, political appointments and no-bid contracts blur the line between state agency and a private business. It also discusses its battle for records from the agency. The 18-story project includes more than a dozen of the public records, received through FOIAs, that were used in the reporting. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 19, 2005 Contributors get the contracts in Ohio James Drew and Mike Wilkinson of The (Toledo) Blade examine the relationships between Ohio politicians and the businesses that do work for the state's Department of Transportation. "Over the last decade, a Blade investigation shows, those firms have contributed more than $1 million to politicians, political parties, and political action committees. In the last five years, those same firms have received more than $400 million in ODOT contracts." The second part of the three-part series finds that Democratic Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman, a critic of the state's so-called "pay-to-play system," has gotten about 13 percent of his campaign cash from "the same engineers and consultants that have pumped money for years predominately into GOP campaigns in the state." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 16, 2005 Vulnerable in Fla. county could be left behind in hurricane Matt Reed and John Kelly of Florida Today used Census data to identify neighborhoods in Brevard County that are "home to higher-than-average numbers of seniors, poor people and families without cars — people who may need help fleeing" a hurricane like Katrina. They found that thousands of seniors, poor people and families without cars might not be able to evacuate areas almost certain to flood. The county would provide free rides to them, but they must register beforehand, something many are not aware of or willing to do. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Mo. tops in alcohol-related boating accidents Bente Birkland and Catherine Rentz Pernot of the Columbia Missourian used data from the U.S. Coast Guard to determine that "between 2000 and 2004, Missouri led the nation in alcohol-related boating accidents." Among other findings: "The Lake of the Ozarks topped the list for boating accidents in Missouri, and it is the most dangerous body of water to drink and boat. Between 2000 and 2004, the lake had more alcohol-related accidents than anywhere else in the nation, including the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico ..." (Note: The Coast Guard's boating accident data and boat registration data is available to journalists from the IRE and NICAR Database Library.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 29, 2005 Disparities in distribution of fed transportation money Erica Werner of The Associated Press analyzed county-by-county spending in California contained in the recently-passed federal transportation bill, finding “vast disparities in how the money was doled out, and perhaps no contrast was more stark than between California’s two fastest-growing counties. Riverside County has five times as many people as Placer County. But residents of Placer County, which connects Sacramento and north Lake Tahoe, are getting five times as much money per person in special projects as residents of Riverside — $261 each in Placer compared with $47 per capita in Riverside, half the statewide average of $95 per person.” Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 22, 2005 SUV brakes leave drivers shaken Jennifer Kraus of WTVF-Nashville reports that more than 200,000 Nissan vehicles are on the roads with brakes that vibrate and shake when drivers try to stop the SUVs. Whle a Nissan spokesman said the shaking is "uncomfortable" but not dangerous, dealers say they hear complaints from drivers "every day," Nissan says it has come up with new parts that will solve the problem and is shipping them to dealerships. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 18, 2005 State lax on enforcing weight limits on trucks Pat Stith of The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer, with assistance from database editor David Raynor and news researcher Brooke Cain, reports that "the state Department of Transportation has ignored a series of increases in truck weights approved by the legislature and failed to protect more than 1,000 bridges that are not strong enough to routinely handle the added weight." As North Carolina legislators increased weight limits four times since 1993, the state did not identify and update information on bridges affected by the changes. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 17, 2005 Drunken driving cases often end in dismissals Brad Branan of the Tucson Citizen used databases from two courts to analyze about 33,000 drunken-driving cases filed from 1999 to last year. He found that "thousands of motorists are charged with drunken driving each year in metro Tucson, giving the area one of the highest DUI arrest rates in the country. But nearly half of those accused escape conviction in the courts that handle most DUI cases." More than 60 percent of the drunken-driving cases that don't end in conviction in Tucson City Court and Pima County Justice Court are dismissed. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 04, 2005 Tow companies use vague laws to keep towed cars John Dickerson of The Scottsdale Times investigates a nearly-legalized theft common across Arizona. "Several tow companies are literally keeping towed vehicles against the will of the owners and later selling them." Tow companies are filing paperwork saying the vehicle has been abandoned and if that vehicle is not reported stolen within 30 days, the tow company gains possession. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 03, 2005 DWI record worse than known Liz Chandler, Ames Alexander and Danica Coto of The Charlotte Observer used driving records from several states to show that "an illegal Mexican immigrant in North Carolina was charged with drunken driving at least five times before a July 16 wreck that killed a Gaston County teacher." North Carolina authorities were unaware of Ramiro Gallegos' out-of-state convictions, which should have resulted in deportation or a two-year jail sentence. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 01, 2005 Most traffic chases caused by minor infractions Eunice Trotter, Tom Spalding and Mark Nichols of The Indianapolis Star analyzed police pursuit data to investigate the 86 deaths Indiana saw in the last decade following police chases. They found that "initiated pursuits that ended with at least one injury or death in one of five cases." Most of the pursuits were found to be for minor infractions, with almost three out of four set off by a traffic violation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 25, 2005 Failed oversight helps surge in air ambulance crashes Alan Levin and Robert Davis of USA Today reviewed hundreds of documents on air ambulance crashes and analyzed a database they created from the documents. They found that since "2000, 60 people have died in 84 crashes — more than double the number of crashes during the previous five years." Despite this surge, air ambulance companies and the federal agency that oversees them failed to take steps that might have averted tragedy and saved lives. The FAA issued a warning to air ambulance companies requesting that they adopt better safety practices, following this investigation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 19, 2005 Illinois police pull over minorities at higher rate Ryan Keith of the Associated Press analyzed the results of a state-mandated study on Illinois traffic stops, finding that "black and Hispanic drivers in large downstate cities are pulled over by police at a rate that far exceeds their share of the local population." The state legislature had every police agency turn over data on its 2004 traffic stops to the state, which then compiled more than 2 million records. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 08, 2005 Cable barriers fail to prevent deaths Scott North, Diana Hefley and Lukas Velush of The (Everett, Wash.) Herald used Washington state transportation data to show that a stretch of I-5 where a cable barrier separates the opposing lanes of traffic may not be preventing as many accidents as other areas. In one three-mile section, "vehicles went over, under or through the cable barriers in seven of 35 accidents along the median ... That means the barriers didn't work in one out of five accidents. The rate is more than triple what the data suggest has occurred along the other seven miles of cabled highway examined." Overall, the cables stopped 91 percent of cars that went into the median. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Loophole endangers drivers in Canada Kevin McGran of The Toronto Star used federal and provincial records to show that "if you rent a U-Haul, you've got a 50-50 chance of getting a truck that won't pass a road safety check." Ontario police failed nearly half of such vehicles during road examinations between 2002 and 2004, and Ministry of Transportation data suggested a similar pattern at the federal level. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 29, 2005 Number of highly paid transit employees triples Mike Adamick of the Contra Costa Times used salary data obtained after a legal battle to show that "the number of BART employees making at least $100,000 nearly tripled since 2000. During the same time period, overtime payments surged by 147 percent for the transit district's highest paid employees." The transit agency originally resisted the paper's request for data, saying releasing the names and salaries of employees would be "overly intrusive." BART turned over information on employees making at least $100,000 after the paper won a similar suit against the City of Oakland. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 20, 2005 Experts cast doubt on cause Jason Method and James W. Prado Roberts of the Asbury Park Press raised questions in the airplane death seven years ago of a pilot who was about to buy Marlboro Airport, now the center of a massive political bribery scandal. The NTSB ruled the 1998 crash death of Lino A. Fasio an accident due to a probable bird strike, but five experts who reviewed the report and new photographs of the wreckage for the Press said there is no evidence to support the government's claim. "There have been six known fatal accidents involving birds in civil aviation in the United States in the last 15 years. But in every case - except Fasio's - investigators found solid evidence of birds or bird remains." The series includes 14 chapters, ranging from a bird theory to sabotage claims. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Accident-victim law saves lives Suzanne Hoholik of The Columbus Dispatch used state data to show that a 2002 Ohio law intended to direct accident victims to trauma hospitals was working as intended: "More injured people are being taken to trauma centers, and fewer are dying in small, rural hospitals. Trauma experts believe as many as 900 lives a year are being saved statewide." The paper found that "the number of injured patients transferred from community hospitals to trauma centers increased 22 percent from 2001 to 2004." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 14, 2005 Bridge safety ratings drop despite high funding Bruce Golding, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon and Dwight R. Worley of The Journal-News used state and federal data to show that "safety ratings for the Tappan Zee Bridge have dropped back to some of the lowest levels in a decade despite an infusion of at least $316 million." The span is New York's most profitable, generating about $45 million in "excess revenues" a year, but is nearing the end of its planned 50-year life. "In addition to the drops in the deck and structural ratings, federal records show the Tappan Zee's guardrails have not met acceptable standards in three of four categories since at least 1994." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 09, 2005 Driving after losing your license not uncommon Andy Nelesen of the Green Bay Press-Gazette used county data to show that driving after losing your license (known as OAR) isn't uncommon: "In 2003 and 2004, more than 250 people racked up more than one OAR case in one year." In one extreme case, a man has been arrested for driving without a license at least 52 times since 1993. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 07, 2005 D.C. subway system suffers from mismanagement Lyndsey Layton and Jo Becker of The Washington Post obtained and reviewed documents and data on the performance of the DC-area subway system, finding that "trains break down 64 percent more often than they did three years ago, and the number of daily delays has nearly doubled since 2000. Although the vast majority of trains are on time, more than 14,400 subway riders a day are inconvenienced by a delay or a mechanical problem that forces them off broken trains." The second piece of a four-part series revealed that "time and again, records show, the public transit agency has disregarded the advice of experts and failed to address safety issues." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 03, 2005 Motor Vehicle Bureaus use varies Michele McNeil of The Indianapolis Star used state data to show that "at least 30 motor vehicle license branches do as little business as those in the 12 small towns already scheduled to close." In addition, the paper found that the number of cars and trucks processed by branches fluctuates wildly. "For example, the average number of transactions handled per employee last year was 2,966 at the Virginia Avenue branch in Indianapolis, compared with an average of 9,777 at the Plainfield branch." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 31, 2005 Police chases lack restrictions Eunice Trotter, Tom Spalding and Mark Nichols of The Indianapolis Star built a database of reports on police chases, showing that "police are virtually unrestricted when they chase suspects. They pursue fleeing vehicles at high speeds and usually for traffic infractions." One of five chases resulted in an injury or death, and state police chases averaged 88 mph. The paper analyzed records from nearly 1,000 chases in 2003 and 2004. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Former security chief spent thousands on state issued gas card Eric Eyre and Scott Finn of The Charleston Gazette continue their investigation of Neal Sharp, West Virginia's former homeland security chief, reporting that "Sharp purchased gasoline with his state credit card at least 30 times on days he wasn't working." In all, Sharp charged $6,764 to his state-issued credit card between July 2003 and March 2005. "On a single day in October 2004, he purchased 38 gallons of gas during three stops at service stations in Charleston and Beckley. Another day later that month, he bought 24 gallons of gas during two stops near his home in Poca." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 24, 2005 Heavy trucks wearing down roads Pat Stith of The (Raleigh/Durham, N.C.) News & Observer reports on how the state relaxed laws to allow overweight trucks to destroy roads, while the enforcement of heavy trucks has also declined in the past five years. "... [S]tate lawmakers voted 10 times for bills that benefit trucking interests at the public expense." Fines for overweight trucks have dropped by half since the last legislation on the issue in 1981 and "about 100 fewer officers prowled the state's back roads to weigh trucks with portable scales or were available to work at the weigh stations on North Carolina's interstates." The series includes an interactive calculator that calculates how an overweight truck can damage the road. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 23, 2005 Indiana bridges failing in comparison to Illinois bridges The Northwest Indiana Times analyzed federal inspection records for 771 elevated road bridges in Lake and Porter counties (Ind.). They found "that as of 2003, 27 percent were either structurally deficient or unable to accommodate rising traffic loads because of size constraints or outdated design." Using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2003 bridge inventory they found that "47 bridges had sufficiency ratings of 50 or less, which means they're eligible for federal replacement funds." The Times review of Illinois bridges found a much lower percentage of deficient bridges. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 20, 2005 Extreme speeders get off easy Scott Powers of The Orlando Sentinel used county traffic ticket data to show that "last year Florida Highway Patrol troopers, Orange County deputies and police ticketed 342 high rollers for driving at least 100 mph." Those who are caught typically are young, white men and many were traveling on the Central Florida GreeneWay. "And though the penalty for a 100-mph speeding ticket normally includes a stiff fine of $305, the vast majority of high rollers last year avoided getting traffic-violation points attached to their license records, usually by attending traffic school. Officially they are not convicted, so their insurance companies cannot raise their premiums." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 19, 2005 Review finds hundreds of deficient bridges in Utah Lee Davidson of The Deseret Morning News used federal data to review deficient bridges in Utah. "Federal data, based on state inspections, show that 256 bridges in Utah were considered structurally deficient in 2004. Another 250 were functionally obsolete." Despite the high number of deficiencies, Utah's bridges are rated Ninth best among states, federal data shows. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 18, 2005 Lack of inspectors lead to unsafe trucks on highways Ginny MacDonald and Brett J. Blackledge of The Birmingham News used federal data to show that "thousands of big trucks travel Alabama's highways with bad brakes, bad tires and bad drivers ... Many of those dangerous trucks in recent years have been involved in accidents that have killed hundreds, injured thousands and cost millions in highway repairs." The state has many fewer inspectors than other states, and nearly one in three stops in 2003 resulted in yielded a condition "so serious that officers wouldn't let them back on the road until the problem was fixed." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 17, 2005 Dateline analyzes America's most dangerous roads Dateline NBC analyzed five years of federal crash data to uncover the deadliest roads in America. "There are 400,000 miles of two lane highways in the United States, many with a disproportionate share of accidents." The most dangerous road they found was Florida's US-19, a six-lane highway stretching 30 miles up the coast. The highway has incurred 100 fatalities in the last five years. The story includes a searchable database, searchable by state, county and road, listing road fatalities, speeding accidents and drinking related accidents. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Bad bridges plague Oklahoma Steve Lackmeyer and John Perry of The Oklahoman used state and federal data to find that "fixing Oklahoma's bridges — the nation's worst — would cost taxpayers billions of dollars. All proposed remedies fall woefully short." The state has had the highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges for at least three years. The bulk of such bridges are owned and maintained by county governments, which receive fuel tax revenues from the state for repair and upkeep. "Oklahoma has 140 bridges more than 80 years old. With the current funding structure, the agency can only replace about 324 bridges over the next decade. By that time, the state will have another 800 bridges more than 80 years old. The state has 199 highway bridges with either wooden structures or decking." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 13, 2005 Highway project costing taxpayers millions more than originally projected Kimball Payne and Bob Evans of the Hampton Daily Press uses a large number of documents, maps and thousands of e-mails to investigate a federal highway project that is projected to be completed two years past the original completion date and have an added cost of twice what the Virginia Department of Transportation had projected. "E.V. Williams has already been paid $25.9 million more than its original bid of $64.7 million. By the end, VDOT estimates the added costs will double, creating a 77 percent overrun." The series is divided into eight sections: Money, Design, Delays, Infighting, Contract, Bridge, Magruder and Next. A timeline detailing "The roadmap to chaos" is also included with the piece. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 12, 2005 Security chief's use of plane, helicopter questioned Eric Eyre and Scott Finn of the Charleston Gazette obtained flight records showing that West Virginia homeland security chief Neal Sharp "flew on the state plane or helicopter to attend meetings, scout disaster training sites and inspect emergency equipment" nineteen times in 19 months and chartered five additional private flights, prompting a state investigation. "All told, Sharp's agency was charged for 26 trips on state aircraft and chartered planes. The flights cost more than $60,000." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 11, 2005 State spends millions transporting recovering heroin addicts Chris Halsne of KIRO-Seattle uses receipts for methadone delivery cabs obtained through the Open Records Act to shed light on a system that is spending millions transporting recovering heroin addicts in taxicabs. "Washington taxpayers spend $2.8 million each year for transportation of heroin addicts to treatment clinics that's over and above the cost of serving up counseling and doses of methadone." The story includes links to pdf files detailing the transportation charges by county. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 06, 2005 U.S. legislative leaders take frequent trips on corporate jets R. Jeffrey Smith and Derek Willis from The Washington Post analyzed federal campaign expenditure records to find that top congressional leaders "flew on corporate-owned jets at least 360 times from January 2001 to December 2004." Members of both parties took part in the practice, although leading Republicans flew more often than Democrats. "The records show that flights were provided by some of Washington's largest corporate interests, including tobacco, telecommunications, business consulting, securities, air transport, insurance, pharmaceutical, railroad and food companies." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 02, 2005 Rush hour trains running late Rob Gebeloff and Joe Malinconico of The (Newark) Star-Ledger analyzed state data to find that while New Jersey Transit's overall on-time performance is close to 95 percent, "on-time rates for dozens of rush-hour trains are twice as bad as the overall average." The paper's analysis also showed that "on the Northeast Corridor, one of every six trains during the morning rush hour ran late. In contrast, the Bergen County Line missed the on-time mark by just one out of every 32 trains." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 25, 2005 Contractor caught cutting guard rails below standards Nancy Amos of WSMV-Nashville investigates a highway contractor the news team caught on camera cutting guard rails below required standards. "Our investigation found that when LU's workers had a hard time getting the posts into the ground, they simply cut them short using a chain saw." The WSMV news team was tipped off by Neal Adkins, a former LU employee. The investigation has gained attention from the FBI and the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 13, 2005 State officials hire relatives Tim Smith of The Greenville News used state records to show that "relatives of two South Carolina Department of Transportation commissioners have been hired at the agency, but the board members said there was nothing improper about their employment." The two relatives are part-time employees, but one has worked for the agency since 1999 and earns about $50,000 a year for her 20-hour-a-week position helping direct a training program. The paper used the state's Freedom of Information Act to obtain the records. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 07, 2005 Police issue tickets more frequently by the beach Rick Neale of Florida Today analyzed 2004 traffic ticket data from Brevard County, finding that "beachside police ticket at far higher relative frequencies than their mainland counterparts." The county's smaller towns write far more tickets per capita than larger cities. "Melbourne Village issues almost eight times more tickets per capita than Brevard's biggest city, Palm Bay." Police mostly blame tourist traffic on State Road A1A and commuters seeking alternate routes. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 31, 2005 |
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