Truck accidents on the rise

Don Jacobs — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:53:02 GMT

A news release from US Newswire recently disclosed that thousands of trucking companies regularly violate federal safety regulations. Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was analyzed. Examples of the violations included inadequate insurance, bald tires, defective brakes and loads that dangerously exceed weight limits. Drivers with little or no training and drivers with a history of drug and alcohol dependency were also cited. The data is alarming. These vehicles share the road with every on of us. Drivers falsifying log books to show they haven’t been on the road too long with lack of sleep has always been a problem. So has the practice of trucking companies pushing drivers to do deliver loads quicker to maximize profit. Truckers know if they don’t cut corners, the company will hire someone who will. And independent operators make more money the more loads they pick up and deliver. Working long hours, ignoring speed limits and driving when fatigued are all common factors cited in semi truck accidents. So how many unsafe trucks are on the road? The FMCSA data on safety records and performance of American trucking companies revealed the violations involved over 200,000 trucks currently being operated on the highways. The data also revealed that over 4,000 people die every year and over 80,000 are seriously injured in accidents involving trucks. And the vast majority of people killed and injured are not the truck drivers. The victims are the drivers and passengers of the cars they hit. Though trucks make up less than 4 percent of all vehicles on the road, they are involved in 12 percent of all traffic fatalities. While the number of unsafe trucks on the road is alarming, the numbers cited by the FMCSA are likely just the tip of the iceberg. Many deadly accidents involving unsafe trucks are not recorded as safety violations. In 2005, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study that showed nearly one third of trucking accidents the states are required to report to the federal government were never reported. In 2009 a GAO study found that more than 1,000 trucking companies that were ordered to close due to safety violations, simply reopened under a different name, often with the same owner, same company address and the same drivers. The federal data from the FMCSA ranked states that had trucking companies with violations of safety requirements above the national average. Unfortunately, Oregon was one of them. A listing of trucking companies operating in violation of federal safety standards can be found at www.justice.org/trucksafetyviolations.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Don Jacobs

Unsafe truckers becoming more of a problem on the highways

Don Jacobs — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:25:23 GMT

Maybe it’s because of the ever increasing price of diesel or just the economy in general, but whenever times get tough trucking companies cut corners. Unfortunately, this means safety is compromised. Unsafe commercial trucks on the highways has always been a problem. Truck drivers trying to push the envelope of safety to get the load delivered quickly often results in tragedy. Truck drivers are required to keep accurate logbooks of their road activities. They are also rules governing how long they can be on the road without sleep. They are required to obtain medical certificates verifying their health doesn’t compromise their ability to operate large dangerous vehicles. The rules are often violated. Logbooks are forged. Some drivers turn to drugs to keep them alert. As a result of a horrible highway accident in New Orleans that killed 22 people, in 2003 the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made eight important safety recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The recommendations were designed to keep medically unfit commercial truck drivers off the road. A study found that it’s so easy to obtain fake medical certificates to operate commercial trucks and buses that there is little incentive for operators to obtain legitimate papers. The tragedy in New Orleans involved a driver who was suffering from life threatening kidney and heart conditions but still held a valid license and medical certificate. Other collisions have been caused by truckers experiencing seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells while driving. Forgery of medical certificates is so commonplace that no one even seems to care. The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) disclosed that 563,000 commercial drivers with valid certificates were determined by the Veterans Affairs Department or the Social Security Administration to also be eligible for full disability benefits because of poor health. So far federal regulators are still sitting on implementing all of the recommended rules. In the meantime, the rest of us should be very concerned about that 18 wheeler next to us on the freeway.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Don Jacobs

Vancouver Personal Injury Lawyer - Tractor-Trailer Accidents

Truck accidents on the rise

Unsafe truckers becoming more of a problem on the highways