Whether you regularly commute on I-90 or I-77, or even if you drive on other suburban roads around Cleveland, you need to understand the serious risks of trucking accidents. Many 18-wheelers and semi-trucks travel cross-country on I-90, as well as traveling on other highways and non-interstate roads to deliver goods throughout Ohio. While there is no question about the danger that large trucks pose to smaller passenger vehicles when they are involved in collisions, researchers continue to explore ways of making trucking safer and preventing truck crashes on America’s highways—from issues involving drowsy driving to making trucks themselves safer.
According to a recent article in Material Handling & Logistics, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) opened a new truck accident study that is designed to provide new information about the causes of trucking crashes in the U.S. I will tell you more about the study, but I want to emphasize how important it is to seek representation from an experienced truck accident lawyer if you are injured in a collision. These accidents are often deadly due to the size and weight of big rigs, and it is essential to seek financial compensation when a negligence truck driver caused the crash.
Study Data Will Help to Guide FMCSA Enforcement Priorities
Truck accidents happen too often on America’s highways, and occupants of smaller passenger vehicles often suffer the consequences. While the FMCSA has previously conducted studies concerning truck accident causation, the new study aims to update information about the causes of trucking accidents and to help the FMCSA shape its present enforcement priorities.
According to the article, “this is the first such study since the agency conducted the last one in 2001-03, which at that time included a review of 120,000 large truck crashes.” Now, the FMCSA has much more data to study that ultimately could help to reduce the rate of trucking accidents in Ohio. The FMCSA hopes to identify the major issues that cause truck accidents in order to shift its enforcement priorities. The FMCSA plans to develop new truck accident prevention initiatives in response to the study.
Rising Rates of Truck Accidents
The new truck study is necessary given the rate of collisions. The FMCSA underscored that it is time for a new study given the shifts in vehicle technology, distracted driving caused by smartphones, and infrastructure changes designed to reduce motor vehicle collision rates. Indeed, in response to news about the recent study, a spokesperson for the FMCSA said that, “in the more than 15 years since the original study, many changes in technology, vehicle safety, driver behavior, and roadway design have occurred that affect how a driver performs.”
Over the last decade, overall rates of truck collisions have also increased. While truck collision rates had declined in the years leading up to 2009, truck accident fatalities and nonfatal accidents have increased steadily since that point in time. To be sure, truck accident deaths in 2018 rose by more than 52% compared with trucking deaths in 2009. Even over the last three years, truck crashes rose by more than 5%.
Contact Me to File a Truck Accident Claim
If you were injured in a truck crash, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call me at 877.944.4373 to learn more about how I can assist with your claim.
