The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration said Fung Wah improperly hired drivers who couldn't speak English and who regularly exceeded speed limits.

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The trade group International Air Transport Association does its own safety audits on air carriers.

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Barr also works as a social media consultant to Location Labs, a provider of mobile safety apps to wireless carriers, and she is occasionally paid by other app developers to review their products.

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In fact, thanks to Al, business aircraft flown by two-pilot, simulator-trained flight crews have achieved a standard equal to or better than the impeccable safety record set by scheduled air carriers.

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"(Airlines) who are IATA member carriers actually have a far better safety rate than the industry standard, " Voss said.

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Although the regionals often fly routes in agreements with larger carriers and are governed by the same safety rules, in practice, Mr. McGee says, the regionals often employ lesser standards for crew training, pilot training, and operations and maintenance.

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In March, the Transportation Department announced a new program, "Look Before You Book, " and a smartphone app that allows users to access the safety records of nearly 6, 000 interstate commercial passenger carriers.

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