Submitted on Nov 03, 2011
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently marked the 20th anniversary of the statutory authority to conduct drug and alcohol testing for workers entrusted with the safe operation of our nation’s transportation system. The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act, signed into law on Oct. 28, 1991, was enacted to reduce the abuse of alcohol and illegal use of drugs by employees such as pilots, airline mechanics, railroad engineers, truck drivers, bus drivers and subway operators. Since the law was implemented, illegal drug use among transportation workers has dropped 50 percent, while the risk of fatal accidents caused by alcohol use by truck and bus drivers has dropped 23 percent.