Louisiana drivers who are uncomfortable driving around large trucks may be interested to learn that the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has stated that Congress and regulators have failed numerous times to act on recommendations that could improve truck safety. The report stated that more than 100 recommendations put forth by the NTSB have been ignored within the last four years, even through fatalities involving trucks have continued to rise.
An estimated 2 million truckers are involved in accidents that cause approximately 4,000 fatalities every year. As such, the NTSB would like truck safety to be considered a priority for 2015. One of the biggest hazards for truck drivers that the NTSB has identified is driver fatigue. Regulations had become more strict regarding the number of hours that truck drivers were required to rest, but those were weakened by Congress. In order to reduce the number of fatalities caused by driver fatigue. the NTSB recommended that trucking companies create plans that reduce or manage their drivers’ fatigue.
Truck driver fatigue was one of the transportation improvements the NTSB wanted highway regulators to make this year. Additionally, the NTSB recommended that more attention be paid to distracted driving and drivers who operate their vehicles while impaired by either drugs or alcohol.
Those who are involved in an accident involving a large truck are likely to suffer serious injuries due to the truck’s weight and size. A personal injury attorney can help injured client hold the truck driver and his or her employer responsible if there is evidence that the truck driver was driving while fatigued, distracted or impaired. Potential damages could include the costs of medical care and treatment.
Source: Bloomberg News, “Trucking Safety Should Be a Higher U.S. Priority, NTSB Says”, Alan Levin, Jan. 13, 2015
