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Truck crashes go up, putting other drivers at risk

On Behalf of | May 7, 2019 | Motor Vehicle Accidents |

Most Virginia residents are aware that truck accidents usually turn out worse for the occupants of any smaller vehicles that are involved. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration states that 72% of all fatalities in truck crashes are passenger vehicle occupants. More and more people are being put at risk as truck crash numbers rise.

Between 2014 and 2018, Florida has seen the year-end number of large truck accidents jump from 23,515 to 32,513. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, speeding was the No. 1 driver-related factor in these crashes. With a new federal law requiring drivers to use digital logs, many are speeding in order to make up for lost miles (most truckers are paid by the mile).

Trucking companies are now thinking about how vehicle safety technology can keep their employees and others on the road safe. Maverick Transportation, a company based in the Midwest, has added collision warning systems, lane departure warning systems, in-cab cameras and roll stability control to its fleet of some 1,800 trucks. In 2018, the fleet only experienced one reportable accident.

To address the problem of speeding, Maverick has set all speed limiters on its trucks to 65 mph. Speed limiter use is being encouraged by many safety advocacy groups. In fact, the NHTSA once proposed a federal rule requiring limiters, but this failed.

When a motor vehicle accident involves a large truck, survivors may be left dealing with catastrophic injuries and psychological trauma. When victims are not to blame for their injuries, they have a right to seek compensation via personal injury lawsuits. This is where a lawyer may come in, evaluate the case, hire investigators to gather proof against the at-fault party and then negotiate for a settlement.