Federal Regulators Want to Limit Speeds of Large Trucks and Buses

 Federal regulators are moving to require the use of a speed-limiting device in all new large trucks and buses that weigh 26,000 pounds or over. According to a CBS news report, the proposed federal rule would only apply to new buses and tractor trailers. About 740 people die each year in accidents involving large trucks where speed is determined to be a factor, officials said. Federal safety regulators believe they may save some of those lives by requiring devices that would limit the speed of tractor trailers and buses. Officials say limiting the top speed of such vehicles to between 60 mph and 68 mph will help save lives.

Saving Lives with New Rule
Large trucks such as tractor trailers are more likely to jackknife, fail to stop quickly, topple over or lose control at higher speeds. The goal of this regulation is to prevent or limit the severity of the crashes. This proposal has the support of the truck industry. But safety advocates say it does not do enough as it applies only to newly manufactured vehicles. Many existing large trucks already have the technology to limit speeds. They just don’t use it.
Advocates say the law should not only be applied to new trucks. The proposed rule may still be modified until it becomes final. In 2009 Ontario, Canada, instituted a similar rule, which officials credit for a 24 percent drop in truck accident fatalities in the first year of its implementation.
Speed and Truck Accidents
The consequences of a multi-vehicle accident involving a large truck can be catastrophic or even fatal. Only about 8.3 percent of all fatal crashes involve large trucks. However, when a large truck is involved, the outcome is often fatal, with 11 times as many occupants in other vehicles being killed compared to the driver of the truck.
In 2012, 333,000 large trucks were involved in traffic collisions in the nation in which 3,921 people were killed. In these crashes, driver fatigue was a factor in 34 percent of the crashes and 21 percent of all fatal collisions involving a large truck occurred when the truck driver was operating the vehicle too fast given the conditions, or in excess of the posted speed limit. About 17.7 percent of the truck drivers involved in fatal collisions in 2012 had at least one prior speeding conviction at the time of the crash.
Truck Accident Injuries
While high-speed truck accidents often result in fatalities, they also tend to cause major or catastrophic injuries including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, amputations, multiple broken bones and internal organ damage. These are the types of injuries that may leave individuals permanently disabled, unable to return to work and/or earn a livelihood for their families. Truck accidents not only affect injured victims, but also their families.
If you have been injured in a truck accident, it is important that you contact an experienced truck accident lawyer who will help ensure that crucial evidence is preserved. It is also helpful to your claim to have as many details and as much information as possible from the accident scene including police reports, physical evidence, photographs, contact information for eyewitnesses, etc.
Compensation for Victims and Families
Trucking companies have a responsibility to hire and train drivers who are experienced and skilled in being able to handle a large truck and the pressures of driving long distances. The rigors of the job including deadline pressures are simply not an excuse to drive at an excessive rate of speed or drive such a vehicle while fatigued or drowsy. Injured victims of truck accidents can seek compensation from the at-fault parties – in such cases usually the driver and truck company owner – for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims can seek compensation by filing a wrongful death claim.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a large truck accident or bus accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a reckless or negligent driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a man who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-regulators-plan-to-limit-speeds-of-large-trucks-and-buses/