Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

As National Distracted Driving Awareness Month comes to an end, the National Safety Council would like for motorists to respect the dangers of distracted driving all year long. We recently reported on our Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog about an unfortunate fatal trucking accident that took the life of a driver. Police are still investigating to see if the driver was operating his vehicle while distracted. They're also investigating to see if he could have been asleep at the wheel.

Our Atlanta truck accident lawyers would like to stress the importance of putting away all distractions while operating a motor vehicle. This advice is particularly critical for truck drivers.

The National Safety Council (NSC) was behind the events of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, as were the safety advocates at FocusDriven. Both organizations used the entire month to promote safe driving habits by discouraging the use of cell phones and other distracting behavior while driving. The NSC reported that there are nearly 12 times as many accidents that involve cell phone use as text messaging.

The safe driving advocates believe that National Distracted Driving Awareness Month is a perfect opportunity for employers to implement no cell phone policies. Rules regarding cell phone use and other distractions while driving would make a great impact on the risk of a trucking accident. The NSC has provided employers with a Cell Phone Policy Kit to help your company get started.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that there were more than 3,300 fatalities, and more than 74,000 injured, in accidents involving trucks in the United States in 2009. They report that nearly 300,000 large trucks, with a gross weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, that were involved in traffic accidents in that same year.

The U.S. government recently announced a ban on texting by drivers of large commercial vehicles in an attempt to avoid the dangers of distracted driving. The new ban comes with fines of up to $2,750. A ban on hand-held cell phones is in the works.

"We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,'' LaHood said. "This is an important safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving.''

Last year, President Obama banned all federal employees from texting while driving a government vehicle. He also banned them from texting in their own cars if they use government-issued phones or are on official business.

As officials continue to throw bans on drivers of various vehicles, there is no doubt that distracted driving includes other activities. Distracted driving can include messing with the radio, talking to passengers, or using GPS devices or maps. It is not until all drivers make a conscious effort to practice alert and focus driving habits that we will all see a significant decrease in serious and fatal accidents on our roadways.

Continue reading " Distracted Driving Plays Significant Role In Trucking Accidents in Georgia and Elsewhere " »

Truck drivers are often operating their vehicles while drowsy as their work shift call for long hours on the open road. As we recently reported on our Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog, the driver of a Georgia fuel tanker was killed in an accident with a tractor-trailer on I-95. Police are investigating the accident and questioning whether or not the driver was asleep at the wheel.

Our Atlanta truck accident attorneys understand the risks that drowsy drivers pose to the safety of all motorists on our roadways. Drivers of passenger vehicles are more at risk in these types of accidents as they're the ones who are more commonly seriously injured or killed in the event of an accident with a large truck.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than 3,000 motorists were killed, and 64,000 were injured, in accidents involving these large commercial trucks in 2008. Less than one-fourth of the injury or fatality victims were in the tractor-trailers at the time of the accident.

The NHTSA found that more than 100 large trucks were involved in fatal accidents in Georgia in 2009.

In an effort to reduce the risk of an accident with a drowsy truck driver, the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) requests that the American Trucking Associations advise companies to equip their commercial vehicles with automated and tamperproof on-board recording devices, which track driving hours and compliance with hours-of-service rules. The government is also moving to make such recorders mandatory for most over-the-road trucks.

According to an article in Automotive Discovery, a driver alertness warning and lane departure warning system is now be available to truck drivers through the SafeTraK3. This device can help to warn truck drivers about unintentional departure from their lane. It also has the ability to detect erratic driving in any one lane. Experts agree that fatigue and drowsiness are two of the biggest risk factors for commercial trucking accidents. Systems like the SafeTraK3 could be installed in all large trucks, and eventually in passenger cars, to help reduce the risks of a drowsy driving accident.

The AAA Foundation offers these safety tips to help drivers stay awake at the wheel to "Drive Alert...Arrive Alive":

-Make sure you get enough sleep the night before. If you've got a trip planned that involves a significant amount of driving, be sure to prepare yourself for the trip by getting enough sleep in the days leading up to the trip.

-Avoid driving when you're sleepy. If you feel the effects of drowsiness at the wheel, you should pull over, take a break or get a hotel room to catch up on your rest.

-Schedule a break. It is recommended that you drive no longer than 2 hours, or every 100 miles, before stopping and taking a break.

-Travel with a passenger. When you're traveling with another passenger, be sure to take turns driving as the other passenger catches up on rest. This will cut your personal driving time in half.

Make sure you listen to your biological clock while operating a motor vehicle. Night time is a very risky time for drivers as sleep can be seemingly irresistible. This urge most commonly occurs between midnight and 6 a.m. This is the time when drivers are most likely to be involved in a sleep-related accident. The second most common time for the occurrence of a drowsy driving accident is during the "afternoon lull" or between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Continue reading " Drowsy Driving Significantly Increases the Risk of a Trucking Accident in Georgia and Elsewhere " »

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently announced that state and local law enforcement along with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted 2,782 surprise passenger carrier safety inspections, across the nation, over a nine-day period. Their efforts resulted in 289 unsafe drivers or buses being taken off our roadways.

Our Atlanta bus accident lawyers think its high time that bus companies be monitored more closely, knowing the consequences that can result from a Georgia bus accident or tractor-trailer accident caused by an unsafe coach or driver.

In its effort to strengthen passenger carrier safety, FMCSA conducted surprise inspections beginning March 28 through April 6, 2011. Out-of-service violation citations were issued to 156 drivers and 262 vehicles by the enforcement strike force.

During a 17-day time period from March 12 to March 28, roughly 3,000 passenger carrier safety inspections were done across the country, resulting in nearly 10 percent of those passenger carrier vehicles being taken off roadways with reported violations.

"Safety is our number one priority," said Secretary LaHood. "We will continue to use every resource at our disposal to shut down unsafe passenger bus companies that place motorists at risk and remove drivers from our roads who put passengers in harm's way."

Along with the inspections 95 commercial passenger bus companies got a full safety compliance review. This is the process used for determining a passenger carrier's safety rating.

"Working side-by-side with our state and local law enforcement partners, we can ensure that every passenger bus company and driver operates as safely as possible," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "These strike force activities are one of the many effective tools we use year-round to raise the safety bar for commercial buses and drivers on our nation's roadways."

According to FMCSA, safety inspections and compliance reviews have increased significantly on the nation's roughly 3,700 registered motor coach companies. Although, the recent enforcement blitz comes in the wake of several deadly bus accidents, including one in New York City that claimed the lives of more than a dozen passengers.

Roadside motor coach safety inspections have increased from 12,991 in 2005 to 25,703 in 2010. Motor coach company compliance reviews have gone from 457 in 2005 to 1,042 in 2010.

The Obama Administration in 2009 developed a new Motorcoach Safety Action Plan. This plan includes proposed rules requiring that buses have seat belts and electronic on-board recorders (EOBR). These recorders are needed to replace paper records that drivers keep on themselves for their hours of driving. Strengthening driver heath requirements is also an issue that needs addressing.

Last year, regulations were put in place banning commercial drivers from texting while driving and banning hand-held cell phone use is being considered.

Continue reading " Bus safety inspections important in reducing injuries to passengers in Atlanta bus accidents " »

The driver of a fuel tanker was killed after a Georgia tractor-trailer accident on I-95 south of Richmond Hill, according to the Bryan County News. The crash involved a second tractor-trailer, which was hauling cars.

Our Atlanta trucking accident attorneys reported previously on our Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog that unsafe or hazardous loads require compliance with specific regulations. With one truck hauling fuel and the other hauling cars, both were carrying specialty loads. Though there is no indication that the loads contributed to the accident, the fuel certainly contributed to the fire and the death of the tanker's driver.

The Georgia State Patrol reports that the tanker truck struck the car hauler at about 3:40 a.m. The tractor-trailer had just merged onto the Interstate from Highway 17 at the time of the crash.

“The tanker just came up from behind, hit him and burst into flames," said Trooper Henry Gilliard. "The tanker was carrying gasoline."

The driver of the tanker, a 28-year-old man from Brunswick, died at the scene.

Police said there was no reaction and questioned whether the driver was sleeping or just distracted. The 39-year-old Florida man at the wheel of the car hauler was not injured.

Elsewhere, Access North Georgia reports a portion of Old Cornelia Highway in the area of East Hall was closed after a tractor-trailer overturned near Whitehall Road.

The rig was carrying a load of All-Terrain Vehicles, which had to be offloaded before the truck could be pulled upright. A hazardous material team was called to the scene to help clean up the fuel that spilled from the wreck.

Continue reading " Cargo often a Factor in Georgia Tractor-Trailer Accidents " »