FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Ann Ferro announced this week that Kevin O'Brien, the Director of Driver Safety Programs for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, has been named as one of eight members of the agency's new Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC).

"I am extremely proud to acknowledge Kevin O'Brien's appointment to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee," said Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner David J. Swarts. "Kevin's commitment to motor carrier safety and his extensive knowledge of motor carrier issues have served New York well for many years and I am confident that Kevin will provide information, advice and recommendations based on his vast experience that will further the traffic safety mission of our respective agencies."

Established by Congress in 2006, the MCSAC is charged with providing information, advice and recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on motor carrier safety programs and regulations.

"Safety is our highest priority," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Our Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee is dedicated to making sure the operators of big commercial trucks and buses and those who share the roads with them are safe."

"From ideas and concepts concerning truck drivers' hours of service to raising the safety bar for new carriers entering the industry, the members of the MCSAC make an invaluable contribution to the safety mission of our agency," said FMCSA Administrator Ferro. "We welcome our new MCSAC members and look forward to working with the committee to explore new ways to strengthen commercial vehicle safety."

"It is an honor to have this opportunity to represent New York State on this Advisory Committee and to participate in the setting of national traffic safety policy as it relates to the motor carrier industry," said O'Brien. "Traffic safety, and in particular commercial driver safety, has been the focus of my career over the last 15 years and I look forward to furthering state and federal cooperation to make our roadways safer for all who use them."

O'Brien, who has more than 35 years of state service, has been recognized several times by national authorities for his work in traffic safety. In 2007 he received a Public Service Award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2004 he was selected for the Partners in Safety Award from the FMCSA, and, in 2003 he received the Secretary's Outstanding Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In addition to MCSAC, O'Brien currently serves as chair of the Commercial Driver License Test Maintenance Committee of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

O'Brien's two-year term on MCSAC will begin on June 8, 2010.