Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

For over 3 years, Road Safe America has been waiting for required minimum training for those seeking a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). It appears that Docket # FMCSA-2007-27748 is caught up in bureaucratic red tape.

Our Atlanta personal injury attorneys know that poorly trained truckers often play a huge role in serious Georgia trucking accidents.

The general public probably assumes that driving an 80,000 pound vehicle requires special training. But regrettably, there are no minimum training standards required by the U.S. Department of Transportation for truck driver training.

There are usually two acceptable paths a truck driver can take regarding training. They can go to a private truck driver training school, which almost every state has, or they can be trained by the carrier they want to work for.

To obtain a CDL, in most states, is a two part process. Part one requires passing a written test, consisting of questions about the trucking industry and the difficult rules surrounding commercial vehicles. Part two involves passing a driving test which includes a visual inspection exercise, driving on the road and a parking lot skills test.

Minimum standards for classroom time or behind-the-wheel training don't exist.

This is the issue for Road Safe America; someone could study the training manual and pass the written test. They can then go seek training from a trucker friend to pass the driving part of the test. Most of us, undoubtedly, would not fly in a plane if we knew there were no minimum training requirements for the pilots. So in the same sense, motorists sharing roadways with untrained truck drivers seem almost unconscionable.

In 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that almost 12 people a day are killed in large truck crashes and 246 people a day are injured. It should concern every motorist on the road to learn that trucks are involved in over 1,000 crashes every day.

It is appalling that these kinds of statistics are not enough to fast-track the process of passing Docket # FMCSA-2007-27748 which would require new operators of commercial motor vehicles to have mandatory training.

Continue reading " Lack of Standard Training for Truckers a cause of Atlanta Tractor-Trailer Accidents " »

An Indiana family traveling through Georgia late last week was involved in a fatal truck accident. According to NBC 41, the family was traveling in their Toyota Camry southbound in I-475 when they collided with a Freightliner Tractor. The family's car was lodged underneath the trailer stirring up another underride safety debate.

Georgia truck accident lawyers understand the dangers of underride accidents, which are frequently fatal to passenger vehicle occupants. Of 115 experimental crashes, through the Large Truck Crash Causation Study, researchers found that only 22 percent of passenger vehicles did not involve a significant amount of underride in a rear-end accident.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 3,163 people died in truck accidents in 2009. They further concluded that 70 percent of those fatalities were occupants of passenger vehicles -- because of underride.

The Georgia truck accident left 1 dead and 3 injured. It was the driver and passengers of the Camry that were injured or killed, while the truck driver remained unharmed.

The Insurance Institute has been studying the defectiveness of the underride guards and has concluded that the current guards are ineffective in preventing underride with passenger cars.

Edmunds.com offers these tips for drivers to help safely and efficiently share the roadways:

-Do not to cut-off a truck. It is important to remember that trucks take much longer than stop than cars. Placing yourself in front of a truck could put you and your passengers in a potentially deadly situation.

-Be patient. It takes time and skill to maneuver a tractor-trailer.

-Stay out of blind spots. If you can't see the trucker, the trucker can't see you. Be cautious of your surroundings.

-Remember you're not the one driving the truck. Trucks handle a lot differently than cars on the road. For example, a truck gathers speed quickly when going down a hill and slows naturally when climbing. Be sure to worry about the movement and safety of your vehicle.

Continue reading " Family Involved in Fatal Georgia Truck Accident " »

Two tractor-trailers collided earlier this month while traveling northbound on I-75 in Gordon County, reported CBS Atlanta. The highway was shut down for nearly three hours, forcing drivers to find alternate routes.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that America's roads see more than 500,000 tractor-trailer accidents each year.

Atlanta trucking accident lawyers urge you to practice safe driving to avoid a potentially deadly Georgia trucking accident. In accidents involving a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle it is more likely that the occupants of the smaller vehicle will sustain more serious injuries than that of the larger vehicle. Figure a fully-loaded tractor-trailer weighs 80,000 pounds -- about 20 times the weight of a passenger vehicle. The heavier vehicle typically takes three times longer to stop.

It is also common for tractor-trailer accidents to occur because of driver fatigue, dangerous roads, defective equipment and failure to maintain current inspection standards. Many times the company employing the truck driver will try to dispute whose insurance will provide proper compensation for the victim. By working with an experienced truck accident lawyer, victims can fight to ensuring that their rights are properly protected.

It can be difficult to prevent a fatal tractor-trailer accident, but traffic experts offer passenger-vehicle drivers critical tips to help safeguard themselves:

-Avoid a truck's blind spots. Remember that if you can't see the driver, they cannot see you.

-If you need to stop on the highway make sure to pull completely off the road. Remember that tractor-trailers are large vehicles and take up much of the lane.

-Understand the limitations of a truck driver. It is especially important to remember not to tailgate. It is extremely dangerous, especially when driving near larger vehicles.

-Treat trucks differently than you would other drivers.

Continue reading " Trucks Pose Threat to Drivers and Increase Risks for Georgia Trucking Accidents " »

An Atlanta semi accident involved a tractor trailer truck and seven other vehicles on I-20 near Six Flags Amusement Park, according to My Fox Atlanta.

Police report cars had slowed because of sun glare when a tractor trailer nearly slammed into them. The truck moved to avoid the accident, and crashed over an embankment. In doing so, the semi slammed into a parked car on the shoulder, which triggered a chain-reaction collision.

Georgia truck accident lawyers understand the risk posed by crashes with large commercial trucks. Too often, it is other motorists on the road who are seriously injured or killed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than 3,000 motorists were killed and 64,000 were injured in crashes involving large commercial trucks in 2008. Fewer than one-fourth of the injury or fatality victims were riding in the tractor-trailers at the time of the crash.

Nationwide, 380,000 large truck accidents were reported, a number that is expected to increase with the economic recovery.

A Hazmat team was called to the scene to clean up spilled diesel fuel and the injured were transported to an area hospital.

The Vision Council of America offers the following safety tips to motorists regarding winter sun glare:

-Use a safe traveling distance to allow for plenty of reaction time.

-Make a habit of using visor to help reduce glare.

-Avoid glossy dash cleaners.

-Keep windshield clean and wiper fluid full.

-Take glare into account when planning route. Traveling roads with tall trees or buildings will help reduce glare.

-Wear sunglasses.

Continue reading " Sun glare causes seven-car tractor-trailer accident in Atlanta " »