National Transportation Safety Board Calls Attention to Trucking Accidents

 Posted on July 12, 2013 in Uncategorized

The NTSB says that the government should evaluate whether a medium-duty truck driver should be required to get a commercial truck driver’s license. The agency undertook a 5 year study that found that these medium-sized trucks were involved in too many accidents. The outcome of a trucking accident can be devastating, since the size of even a medium truck can impact and even destroy smaller vehicles, sometimes killing the passengers inside the smaller vehicle.

The study reviewed single-unit truck crashes between 2005-2009, finding that a large group of those accidents were linked to medium-sized vehicles. These trucks were defined as having a gross vehicle weight over 10,000 with non-detachable cargo units and all axles attached to a single frame. These trucks were linked to 1,800 deaths every year during the truck study period.

Single-unit truck crashes resulted in numerous incidents of hospitalization, fatalities, and emergency room visits. The researchers of the study also recommended that single-unit trucks should be subject to the same requirements for vehicle safety as tractor trailers, like underride guards. The study determined that the impact of these vehicles in past research was underestimated due to failure to properly classify the trucks in the right category.

The National Transportation Safety Board further recommended:

• Improvements to protect pedestrians and cyclists from injuries resulting from single-unit trucks
• Tools to help prevent passenger vehicles from underriding trucks in the rear
• Concepts to improve the visibility of single-unit trucks driving on dark and unlit roads

Trucking accidents can destroy a family’s life in a matter of moments. Even bigger vehicles simply can’t hold up in an impact situation with a medium-sized truck, and inexperienced trucking drivers can quickly lose control of the vehicle. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a trucking accident, you need the guidance of an experienced attorney to review your case.