Addressing the deadly Washington D.C. train crash Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board said the operator of the train that “slammed into a stationary train in front of it apparently had activated the emergency brakes in a failed effort to stop before the accident.” as reported in the Washington Post. Hersman said the “emergency brake button, known as the ‘mushroom,’ was depressed, and the steel rails showed evidence that the brakes were engaged.”

Federal Employees Banned From Texting While Driving
The AJJ reported today that Los Angeles Times (10/2, Geiger) reported that ” ‘In an effort to curb accidents caused by distracted driving, the Obama administration has banned federal employees from text messaging while driving and said it would consider new restrictions on cellphone use by rail, truck