A new report suggests that big rigs would be much safer if speed limiter devices were in use, and very soon a rule may go into effect requiring that very thing.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently released findings compiled by looking at 138,000 trucks and 15,000 crashes. To determine whether or not the crash was relevant to a speed limiter, researchers looked at the type of crash, various contributing factors, the location, and what they call the narrative of the crash. They figured out that 15% of these crashes could be considered relevant to their speed limiter data.
What they found is that there were five crashes for every 100 trucks per year on vehicles without a speed limiter, compared to 1.4 in vehicles with the limiters.
Safety advocates view this as a positive reminder of what they’ve been saying for years. In 2006, American Trucking Associations filed a petition to have speed limiter devices mandatory on all commercial trucks. Some time this year, the NHTSA is scheduled to look into the viability and potential benefits of such a rule. Initial opinion seems to be that such a ruling would be cheap and reduce highway deaths significantly.
I’ll be paying attention to this story as a personal injury lawyer in Fresno. As a lawyer, I feel it’s my duty to closely examine the news to find relevant laws that might take effect. This way, I can better serve those clients who need the help of a Fresno car accident lawyer.