According to safety experts, to really prevent tractor trailer accidents in Florida and Coral Gables, there needs to be a huge shift in attitude and everyone needs to take responsibility for preventing collisions. Everyone has a role to play:
Legislators
Lawmakers have a responsibility to create laws that help prevent trucking collisions and to listen to road users to make sure that those rules are really helping to drive car accident rates down. Unfortunately, this can be challenging, since truck companies and safety experts may want different rules. For example, when new Hours of Service rules went into effect this year, many people praised the rule changes, saying they would reduce the number of fatigued drivers driving in Coral Gables and other communities. Other safety experts, however, said that the new rules place more trucks on the roads in the early morning rush hours, increasing the risk of an accident.
Truck drivers
Truck drivers have one of the largest roles to play when it comes to driving safety. Drivers can choose to take care of their health and to get plenty of additional training, which makes them safer on the road. Truck drivers can also choose to comply with federal safety regulations. Many of the everyday decisions that truck drivers make – such as the decision not to drink and drive – has a huge impact on road safety.
Trucking companies
Truck carriers can make the roads safer by installing the latest safety technology in their fleets and by maintaining their fleets correctly. They can also screen and hire qualified drivers and give drivers reasonable deadlines to discourage fatigued driving. The businesses practices these companies follow can have a huge impact on safety.
Shipper customers
Shipping customers vote with their dollars when they hire a truck company. They can make a big impact by asking about hiring practices, safety policies, and driver monitoring. If truck companies knew that they would get (or lose) business depending on their commitment to safety, they would have an incentive to implement safety policies. In addition, shipper customers can help by allowing reasonable deadlines and by not expecting trucking companies to ship unsafe loads in unreasonable time frames.
Other users of the roads
Motorists and pedestrians as well as bicyclists and motorcyclists all share the road with trucks and can prevent trucking accidents by giving truck drivers plenty of room and by respecting the larger blind spots larger vehicles have.
Truck manufacturers
The manufacturers of trucks and truck components are responsible for ensuring that their products are road worthy and correctly designed and manufactured. Manufacturers are also responsible for responding adequately to any unsafe or defective products by issuing recalls in a timely fashion.
Municipalities
The engineers and workers responsible for road maintenance and road design in Coral Gables and other communities can prevent many traffic accidents with properly maintained roads, good signage, and smart street design that gives all road users good visibility and adequate space.
The attorneys at Flaxman Law Group believe that we can all take steps to prevent roadway accidents. If you have been injured in an accident and feel that someone’s negligence played a role, contact our law firm to speak with a member of our professional and friendly legal team. In a free accident consultation, we would be happy to review your legal options.