Item: Flaxman Law Group
Rating: 5
Author: Clara Barman

Lifestyle Factors That Can Affect Florida Truck Accident Risks

Published on: October 25, 2010 | By Flaxman Law Group

Certain lifestyle factors and life choices can increase your risk of a Florida car accident or truck accident. These lifestyle factors can also be very risky when they are shared by Florida truck drivers who are entrusted with large commercial vehicles:

1) Obesity. Obesity can lead to many health problems, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and other serious conditions. Unfortunately, these conditions can also be sneaky. A truck driver may not realize that he has these conditions until symptoms begin to manifest themselves. If these symptoms show up suddenly on the road, the result could be a Florida pedestrian accident or truck accident.

2) Shift work. Unfortunately, many Florida truck drivers take shift work, working at unusual hours, in order to help companies meet deadlines. Shift work has been linked to sleep disorders, which can lead to fatigued driving and therefore to accidents.

3) Drinking and drug use. Florida drunk driving accidents are still far too common and drunk driving involving trucks is more likely to result is serious injuries and death. Although Florida drunk driving campaigns have been warning drivers of the dangers of drunk driving, however, drugs – even over the counter and prescription medications – can lead to drowsiness or other symptoms which can cause an accident.

4) Obsession with gadgets. It’s not a lifestyle choice, admittedly, but many of us are very much attached to our wireless devices or music. While there’s nothing wrong with that in general, wanting to stay plugged in behind the wheel of a car is dangerous. Many people have lost their lives in Florida trucking accidents caused by distracted drivers.

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Florida Law Hones in On Drowsy Drivers to Prevent Florida Truck Accidents and Car Accidents

Published on: September 8, 2010 | By Flaxman Law Group

In 2008, 8-year-old Ronshay Dugans was killed when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and caused a Florida bus accident involving the school bus on which Dugans was traveling. Dugans’ family lobbied to change legislation in Florida to help prevent drowsy driving. Working with Florida state representative Alan Williams, the Dugans family has helped pass the Ronshay Dugans Act to combat fatigued driving.

As part of the act, the first week of every September will be designated as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week in Florida. The bill was passed by Florida legislature and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist in June. Morton Plant Mease Hospital, the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles have joined together to help promote Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 50% of drivers admit to fatigued driving in the past year. About a third of drivers admit that they drive while fatigued at least once a month. Another 30% of drivers admit they have fallen asleep at the wheel and 1% of drivers have been in an accident or a near accident while driving drowsy.

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Truckers Support Hour Limits to Prevent Florida Truck Accidents and Truck Accidents Nationwide

Published on: August 20, 2010 | By Flaxman Law Group

In April of this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted sessions with trucking industry experts to discuss hours-of-service (HOS) rules for commercial truck drivers. The trucking industry was seeking more flexibility in the rules, which currently restrict how many hours truck drivers can drive before taking rest stops. The American Trucking Association has said that the HOS rules work in preventing Florida car accidents involving trucks and nationwide truck accidents, but the industry wants more flexibility.

Under current rules, truck drivers are to rest for eight hours out of their ten hour rest period in their truck cab. This allows drivers to rest for eight hours in their cab and drive for six hours under the current 14 hour limit for driving. Despite concerns about safety, in 2004 and 2007 courts upheld decisions which allow drivers to drive many hours consecutively. Decisions and industry practices have also reduced the amount of time that drivers have to rest.

In October 2010, the new proposals made by the trucking industry to reduce rest hours even more were rejected by the Obama administration. The decision came after heavy lobbying from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Public Citizen, the Truck Safety Coalition, and the Teamsters Union.

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Getting Tired Truck Drivers Off the Roads

Published on: July 26, 2010 | By Flaxman Law Group

Most truck accident experts agree that inattention and driver fatigue are the leading cause of Florida truck accidents, Florida car accidents, and indeed, motor vehicle accidents across the country in general. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Transportation got tough on distracted and fatigued driving by increasing required hours between shifts and by reducing the total driving time of commercial truck drivers. Overall, truck accident deaths have dropped somewhat since 2005.

However, experts from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance note that yearly truck accident fatalities across the country are the same as if a jetliner crashed once a week. Members of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance note that if a jetliner crashed weekly there would be national attention about the problem and air traffic industries would face loss of business as well as serious investigations.

However, despite the well-established documentation about the dangers of distracted and fatigued driving, distracted Florida drivers and fatigued drivers are still causing many Florida truck accidents and national traffic accidents.

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Why Some Experts Are Pessimistic About Reducing the Rate of Florida Truck Accidents

Published on: July 12, 2010 | By Flaxman Law Group

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, in 2008, 6.6% of all fatal commercial truck accidents in the country took place in Florida. Part of the problem, according to experts, is that Florida is a shipping area, and trucks move cargo from ports such as Miami through interstate highways to landlocked areas of the country. Also, the large size of these vehicles ensures that when Florida truck accidents do occur, they are likely to be fatal accidents.

According to experts, the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the Florida Highway Patrol have all taken steps to reduce the number of car accidents and truck accidents on state roads and highways. However, experts remain pessimistic about the possibility of significantly reducing the number of Florida traffic accidents involving trucks. This is because a number of truck accident risk factors are hard to address:

1) Driver fatigue. Many studies have confirmed that tired Florida drivers are as dangerous as drunk drivers. When sleepy, truck drivers are simply more likely to make mistakes or to experience lapses in judgment which can lead to accidents. There are many rules in place to prevent this. Florida commercial truck drivers, for example, are required by law to take 10 hours before shifts and must drive no more than 11 hours per day. Unfortunately, most truck drivers are paid more to drive more and it is very hard to regulate rest time and break time.

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