@DrTCombs Yes! And we appreciate this 1997 notice to Editors and Correspondents from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/crash-not-accident. #FMCSA

We've avoided such use of word "accident" since a #BikeLeague LCI, Tom Cassera, brought it to our attention in bikemonterey.org's early years. And we've shared with #MontereyCounty media professionals, e.g., #MontereyCountyWeekly about that word; most now use "crash" or "collision" instead of "accident."

It's easy for people to forget why such language is important. Even our state bicycle coalition's staff page https://www.calbike.org/about_us/who_we_are/staff/ needs that word changed (we were told last summer they'd change it; apparently slid down their to-do list). BTW, we appreciate CalBike regardless! :) See their #ActiveTransportation slate for 2023: https://www.calbike.org/legislative-watch/.

@ProPublica @tomflood

back to #FMCSA #HoursOfService.

folks may note is there are several exceptions and flexibilities built in, these days (some of which are fairly new but the history and changes are another thread).

problem is. your boss isn't your friend, your company is not your friend, your dispatcher is not your friend. those flexibilities are there to allow drivers to respond when something messes up.

inevitably as a company driver, someone will try to get you to plan on using them instead. #TruckingLife

#FMCSA has a good basic guide to #HoursOfService, which I encourage everyone to read regardless of if you know anyone who is a #TruckDriver. almost everything you buy is on a semi truck at some point in its journey either during the manufacturing process or going to the store, and very few of those drivers have the benefits of a union! https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-of-service #TruckingLife

73 miles into today and it feels like a good day to remind people that by and large most state-guaranteed #WorkersRights and #WorkersProtections with stress to time worked don't apply to folks if they're a non-union paid per mile over-the-road #TruckDriver. truckers are under the #FMCSA #HoursOfService instead, and it depends largely on the individual employer to not abuse it. #TruckingLife