Tractor trailer Accidents

Every year there are about 500,000 in the United States, accidents involving large trucks/tractor-trailers, with 5,000 deaths. In fact, 1 on 8 victims of the road in America is due to a collision with a truck. Almost all of these deaths and injuries were limited to passengers of cars affected by tractor-trailer, while truckers usually unscathed.

The fatal accident rate for trucks is 2.6 deaths per 100,000 thousand miles traveled, a statistic more than 50 percent higher than the rate for other vehicles. As well, tractor and truck are more likey to be involved in accidents and l ' eighty percent of all truck accidents include more than 1 vehicle.

The Federal Government requires operators to have a truck drivers and commercial license limited to drugs and alcohol test. However, because of the number of accidents continues, the ' effectiveness of these security measures is questionable.

Many accidents are caused by truck driver fatigue. In a recent survey, 20 percent of truckers admitted falling asleep while driving within one month of the questionnaire. For financial reasons truckers often stay on the road beyond the limits of human endurance.

In 2003, the u.s. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) tight regulations governing downtime for drivers of trucks in an attempt to lower the rate of accidents. The compliance date was set at January 4, 2004.

A complex set of guidelines, the discipline now how long drivers can remain in service. Revised hours of service rules allow truckers to drive 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. The truckers are not allowed to drive beyond the 14th now ' after entering into service after 10 hours off duty. Truck drivers cannot drive after having been in service for sixty hours in a period of seven consecutive days of time or even 70 hours in a period of eight consecutive days. This cycle of round can be restarted if a driver demands at least 34 consecutive hours off duty.

truck drivers short-range (those that normally return to the place of departure after every round and then are released from service), may have a greater period of time of duty-sixteen hours after a week of standard shifts. The ' exception of 16 hours considers valid business needs without compromising security. FMCSA estimates that without the flexibility of additional 2 hours of duty, the industry would have to take ' at least 48,000 new inexperienced pilots, increasing the rate of accidents.

The FMCSA estimates the new rule has the potential to prevent deaths and approximately 75 incidents the 1,326 ' year. However, studies reveal that many truckers violated the old legislation on hours of service, and without the strict application of the ' new legislation is likely to be poor as well.