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NY senator calls for GPS standards for trucks

U.S. Senate

New York Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on the federal government to investigate the rising number of overpass collisions involving trucks that are led onto roads where they don't belong by GPS devices. More from WAMC's Dave Lucas.

Schumer says he will ask the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue nationwide standards for GPS devices for commercial vehicles.

He says the GPS devices often lead trucks onto roads that forbid commercial vehicles.

He notes an increase of trucks hitting low overpasses on Long Island, in Westchester County and New York City.

The senator says 43 bridges have been hit on Long Island parkways in 2011. He cites a 2009 study that indicated 80 percent of bridge strikes were caused by misused GPS devices.
© 2012 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.