Tractor trailer accidents tend to have a higher percentage of fatalities and serious injuries due to the simple, yet frightening, fact that most 18-wheeler trucks pulling a full cargo weigh more than 80,000 pounds. The average car only weighs about 4,000 pounds. Put the two against each other on a highway traveling 65 miles an hour and a crash can be life threatening. Add a few other vehicles into the mix and the result will likely be catastrophic.
Nearly 200 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes in Florida in 2012, according to a recently released federal report. The truck crashes caused 214 deaths and most were drivers and passengers of smaller vehicles. Tractor trailers were more likely to be involved in fatal multiple vehicle accidents as well.
While sheer size and speed play major roles in serious truck accidents, there’s another factor that’s being considered – drug use. Some truckers drive while under the influence of marijuana, methamphetamines, alcohol and other drugs.
Federal truck safety regulators want to create a national database to track the drug test data of commercial drivers and to do more to rid our highways of truckers who drive while impaired.
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), federal truck safety regulators have proposed to make the data on commercial drivers’ license holders accessible to employers and other groups that may be interested in the statistics.
According to the proposal, employers would be required to:
report drug and alcohol test results to the database.
refer to the database every time they hire new drivers.
report traffic citations involving truckers driving commercial trucks under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The database itself would contain information on “verified positive, adulterated and substituted drug test results, test refusals, negative return-to-duty test results” and other data that would be submitted by commercial trucking employers, medical review officers and other third-party agencies.
Proponents of the database say that it could go a long way toward giving employers and the federal government the information they need to keep potentially dangerous drivers off the roads.
Some aren’t so sure the proposal will work and point to the fact that even if tougher rules take effect, trucking companies must take responsibility for policing themselves and their drivers – which they may be unlikely to do if it means losing a good employee who just had “a bad day”.
Trucking companies have a legal responsibility to ensure that the truck drivers they hire operate 18 wheelers in a responsible manner and do not drive while drugged. While the trucking industry has adopted changes to address driver fatigue and to track hours drivers are behind the wheel, trucking companies should do more to enhance public safety.
Florida Trucking Accidents Can Be Life Altering
One thing is clear – trucking accidents in Jacksonville and across Florida are a serious problem. Victims lucky enough to survive a crash with a big truck are frequently left with a lifetime of serious personal injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. Injured victims often require long, painful, and expensive hospital stays.
Holding trucking companies and negligent truckers accountable for the devastation they leave behind requires experienced, aggressive lawyers, who know the special laws applicable to big trucks and can find the critical evidence. Anyone involved in a trucking accident should contact an experienced Florida truck accident lawyer to analyze their situation, and determine whether a trucker’s negligence may have been responsible.
Tractor trailer accidents tend to have a higher percentage of fatalities and serious injuries due to the simple, yet frightening, fact that most 18-wheeler trucks pulling a full cargo weigh more than 80,000 pounds. The average car only weighs about 4,000 pounds. Put the two against each other on a highway traveling 65 miles an hour and a crash can be life threatening. Add a few other vehicles into the mix and the result will likely be catastrophic.
Nearly 200 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes in Florida in 2012, according to a recently released federal report. The truck crashes caused 214 deaths and most were drivers and passengers of smaller vehicles. Tractor trailers were more likely to be involved in fatal multiple vehicle accidents as well.
While sheer size and speed play major roles in serious truck accidents, there’s another factor that’s being considered – drug use. Some truckers drive while under the influence of marijuana, methamphetamines, alcohol and other drugs.
Federal truck safety regulators want to create a national database to track the drug test data of commercial drivers and to do more to rid our highways of truckers who drive while impaired.
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), federal truck safety regulators have proposed to make the data on commercial drivers’ license holders accessible to employers and other groups that may be interested in the statistics.
According to the proposal, employers would be required to:
The database itself would contain information on “verified positive, adulterated and substituted drug test results, test refusals, negative return-to-duty test results” and other data that would be submitted by commercial trucking employers, medical review officers and other third-party agencies.
Proponents of the database say that it could go a long way toward giving employers and the federal government the information they need to keep potentially dangerous drivers off the roads.
Some aren’t so sure the proposal will work and point to the fact that even if tougher rules take effect, trucking companies must take responsibility for policing themselves and their drivers – which they may be unlikely to do if it means losing a good employee who just had “a bad day”.
Trucking companies have a legal responsibility to ensure that the truck drivers they hire operate 18 wheelers in a responsible manner and do not drive while drugged. While the trucking industry has adopted changes to address driver fatigue and to track hours drivers are behind the wheel, trucking companies should do more to enhance public safety.
Florida Trucking Accidents Can Be Life Altering
One thing is clear – trucking accidents in Jacksonville and across Florida are a serious problem. Victims lucky enough to survive a crash with a big truck are frequently left with a lifetime of serious personal injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. Injured victims often require long, painful, and expensive hospital stays.
Holding trucking companies and negligent truckers accountable for the devastation they leave behind requires experienced, aggressive lawyers, who know the special laws applicable to big trucks and can find the critical evidence. Anyone involved in a trucking accident should contact an experienced Florida truck accident lawyer to analyze their situation, and determine whether a trucker’s negligence may have been responsible.