The government should be doing more to prevent accidents and enhance safety for the traveling public, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The board recently updated its list of Most Wanted Safety Improvements, noting instances where federal agencies had given unacceptable responses to NTSB recommendations or were moving too slowly to implement recommended safety measures.

The two recommendations specifically targeting trucking were not rated as moving too slowly, but rather “acceptable response, progressing slowly.”

The first of the two recommendations is to improve the safety of motor carrier operations by preventing motor carriers from operating if they put vehicles with mechanical problems on the road or unqualified drivers behind the wheel.

The second recommendation is to prevent medically unqualified drivers from operating commercial vehicles. The NTSB recommends establishing a comprehensive medical oversight program for interstate commercial drivers; ensuring that examiners are qualified and know what to look for; tracking all medical certificate applications; enhancing the oversight and enforcement of invalid certificates; and providing mechanisms for reporting medical conditions.

Both trucking related recommendations were introduced to the Most Wanted list in 2003.

Two non-trucking items were removed from the list, one because action on it is almost completed, and the other because the Federal Railroad Administration refused to adopt the recommended safety enhancement.

Established in 1990, the Most Wanted list is a way for the NTSB to focus attention on needed safety improvements in all modes of transportation. The list highlights recommendations that the board believes would significantly reduce deaths and injuries.