Florida Injury Lawyer BlogAccording 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:
Articles Tagged with commerical trucks
Award-Winning Truck Drivers Offer Safety Advice
At the recent National Truck Driving Championships sponsored by the American Trucking Associations, truck drivers were recognized for their skills and their dedication to the job. The truckers were also asked about their ideas for improving trucking safety and preventing trucking accidents. According to the winners, the best way to make our roads safer is to:
1) Encourage drivers to take the intuitive for safety.
One thing that sets the winners of the National Truck Driving Championships apart is that they enjoy learning and expanding their skills. When speaking to the media, some of the winners said that taking part in the championships expanded their skills and made them feel like part of the industry. When drivers are enthusiastic about their skills and see themselves as part of a team, some of the problems that plague the industry – such as driver shortages and high turnovers – may be less of a problem.
2) Improve working conditions for drivers.
Safety experts have already stated that one way to cut down on trucking crashes in Miami and other cities is to improve working conditions in the industry. Better pay and better hours could go a long way towards preventing fatigued driving in Miami and other communities by allowing drivers the lifestyle needed to rest and stay healthy on the road. The winners of the National Truck Driving Championships noted that their truck carriers helped them get more family time at home, something that they appreciated. Some safety advocates have noted that raising wages and not linking wages to tight deadlines would reduce the chances that drivers cut corners to make deliveries on time – at any cost.
Continue reading →
Trucking Collisions in Pembroke Pines
Two serious trucking incidents occurred in Pembroke Pines this month. In the first incident, a large sinkhole opened up on Pines Boulevard, swallowing a large truck. The sinkhole opened up when a water main broke.
In another incident, a waste truck caught fire on the Interstate 75 in Pembroke Pines. Although the flames were quickly controlled, lanes on the highway were closed while fire fighters responded to the accident. The fire began when the truck – carrying petroleum-based roofing materials – caught fire. The incident highlights some of the dangers of hazardous cargo. Fire fighters noted that some types of petroleum-based roofing materials can spontaneously combust, especially in hot weather.
Why You Need an Attorney: How Trucking Accidents are Different From Car Accidents
On the surface, car and truck accidents in Davie and other Florida communities look very much alike. They both involve drivers and insurance companies and both take place on the roadways. In both cases, there are likely to be injuries or even fatalities. Even the laws are similar, in that if a driver was negligent they can be held liable under Florida law.
Despite these similarities, truck and car accidents in Davie differ in a few significant ways:
1) Truck accident injuries are far more likely to be severe.
A broadside collision between two passenger vehicles can be serious, but when one of the vehicles involved is a commercial truck the accident is even more likely to lead to devastating injury or fatalities. More severe injuries can mean more compensation required to pay for medical bills. Unfortunately, it can also mean that some insurance companies are more likely to balk at the cost.
The Link Between Truck Safety and Celebrity
Trucking accidents in Hollywood and other Florida communities are often devastating and will sometimes make the news when the collision is severe enough. When celebrities are involved, however, news agencies become even more involved and this can sometimes mean important safety changes as well as emphasis on safety issues.
For example, in 1967, actress Jayne Mansfield rear-ended a commercial truck. Mansfield and the other adults in the car were killed instantly when the vehicle slid under the truck. The serious accident called attention to the dangers of the underride accidents and in part due to the tragedy underride bars were eventually developed and are now widely used on commercial trucks to prevent similar deaths in rear-end collisions in Hollywood and other communities. The steel bars that are placed across the rear end of commercial trucks are known as underride guards or sometimes as Mansfield bars. At one point, the bars were required on all commercial trucks, although rules have now been changes so that many trucks are exempt from needing the underride bars.
Health Solutions Can Help Prevent Trucking Collisions
There are many things that contribute to trucking accidents in Hollywood and other communities. Driver error, mechanical failure, and poor road design, for example, all contribute to their fair share of traffic crashes each year. However, one factor that causes many collisions is often overlooked: driver health.
The reality is that chronic health conditions can have a big impact on how safely truck drivers can handle their jobs. In addition, the very job itself can have a negative impact on health. The sedentary nature of the job, the stress of the job, and the fast food that is often available on the road can put drivers at risk for obesity, diabetes, cardiac issues, and other serious health concerns.
How Serious is the Problem?
Studies point out that truck drivers may have a higher risk for some health conditions. A study published the American Journal of Industrial Medicine concluded that 68.9 percent of truck drivers studies were obese and 17.4 percent were morbidly obese. In comparison, the general population has an obesity rate of 30.5 percent, with 7.3 of the country being morbidly obese. The same study found that truck drivers are twice as likely to be smokers when compared with the rest of the population and are more than twice as likely to suffer from diabetes. According to the study, truck drivers have a higher risk of psychiatric illness, back pain, and musculoskeletal problems. They are also more likely to get delayed treatment or lack access to treatment.
CNBC Trucking Industry Investigation Highlights Some Causes of Trucking Accidents
As trucking collisions continue to happen in Homestead and across the country, many people ask why the numbers of these crashes is not dropping. Recently, one station, CNBC, aired an investigative report about the state of the trucking industry. According to the report and the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA), the number of fatal trucking accidents across the country increased close to 18% between 2009 and 2012, despite an increased focus on driving safety. According to investigative reporters, there are a few key reasons why big rig and tractor trailer collisions continue to occur:
1) Repeat offenders.
Federal safety rules and policies are meant to prevent traffic accidents in Hollywood and across the country, but enforcing those rules and getting unsafe trucks and drivers off the roads is more difficult than many realize. According to the CNBC investigation, about 20% of trucks inspected in 2012 were not safe to be on the roads due to out-of-service violations such as bad tires. That amounts to more than 2 million potential unsafe trucks on the roads. In addition, about 5% of drivers inspected had violations that could have prevented them from driving. That amounts to about 171,000 unsafe drivers on the roads.
How Truck Driver Shortages Could Affect Your Safety in Hollywood and Florida
When there are too few qualified truck drivers on the roads, could that increase the risk of trucking collisions in Hollywood or your community? Some safety experts think so.
A recent New York Times article pointed out that truck driver shortages are notable. Even with an overall unemployment rate of 6 percent across all sectors, there is a qualified driver shortage of about 30,000 drivers – and the amount of drivers needed is only expected to increase. A large part of the problem, as the article points out, is because wages for truck drivers are actually lower today than they were in 2003, once we adjust for inflation.
Concerns About Fatigued Driving in Fort Lauderdale and Other Cities Continue
A current debate about hours of service regulation rules is really a long-standing argument about how to best reduce the number of fatigued drivers on Fort Lauderdale roads and other roadways across the country. Earlier this year, new federal hours of service rules were passed which reduced the weekly hours long-haul truck drivers worked. The same changes also requires truck drivers to take nighttime rest breaks.
Some safety advocates say that the nighttime breaks are crucial to help prevent fatigued driving and resulting traffic crashes in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They point to research that has shown shift work can lead to sleep issues and greater fatigue when compared with work that allows employees to sleep during regular night hours.
Critics Slam New Hours of Service Rules
Opponents of the hours of service changes, however, say that the mandatory nighttime rest breaks put too many commercial truck drivers on the road during rush hour – an increase in traffic that could contribute to roadway accidents in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They also say that drivers should ultimately decide when they should rest.
Fatigued driving leads to traffic crashes