NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Alcohol, Drugs Tied to Trucker Fatalities

The National Transportation Safety Board, reporting on a study of drinking and drug use by truck drivers who died in accidents, said that 33% of the drivers killed within 12 months in eight states were impaired by alcohol or other drugs. The board indicated that it will recommend stepped-up testing and a reduced legal limit on blood-alcohol content--perhaps 0.01%--for commercial haulers. The current limit is 0.04%, and a driver can be ordered off the road for 24 hours for any alcohol use. The board emphasized that its findings do not mean that every third truck driver on the road is impaired, since the study used only data from post-mortem tests.