Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration April 15, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces its decision to grant an exemption to DriveCam, Inc. (DriveCam) that will enable video event recorders to be mounted on commercial motor vehicles lower in the windshield than is currently permitted by the Agency's regulations. DriveCam requested the exemption so that commercial motor vehicle operators would be able to use video event recorders to increase safety through (1) identification and remediation of risky driving behaviors such as distracted driving and drowsiness; (2) enhanced monitoring of passenger behavior for CMVs in passenger service; and (3) enhanced collision review and analysis. FMCSA believes that permitting video event recorders to be mounted lower than currently allowed, but still outside the driver's sight lines to the road and highway signs and signals, will maintain a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved without the exemption.