Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

Three people were killed on Interstate 40 in North Carolina late last month after an accused drugged driver got behind the wheel of his tractor-trailer. The neighboring case illustrates the risk of Atlanta truck driver accidents caused by alcohol and drugs. The driver was reportedly under the influence of methadone and marijuana when he failed to react to slowing traffic at the 15-501 exit between Durham and Chapel Hill. He slammed his tractor-trailer into a pickup truck, hit an SUV, slammed into another vehicle and finally came to rest as he hit a box truck. The drivers of the first three vehicles were killed. The driver of the box truck survived.

The truck driver was arrested and held on a $600,000 bond and has been charged with two counts of felony death by vehicle, one count of misdemeanor death by vehicle, driving while impaired and possession of drugs.

Our Georgia trucking accident attorneys recognize the frequency of these types of accidents. More and more truck drivers are causing accidents under the influence of a number of drugs. A number of trucking companies have been cited for numerous safety violations in recent years. As we recently reported on our Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog, there are a number of preventable circumstances that cause these accidents time and time again.

The company owning the truck of the Tennessee driver reportedly has been cited for previous safety issues. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports the the company scored barely above an 81 percent on driver fatigue ratings.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there has been a substantial increase in the level of drug involvement among fatally injured drivers involved in traffic accidents from 2005 to 2009.

The NHTSA reports that more than 60 percent of the 21,798 truck drivers who were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2009 alone were tested for drugs. These test results prove that nearly 4,000 truck drivers tested positive for drug involvement. This means that roughly 20 percent of these accidents involved a drugged driver. Drugged driver accidents accounted for 13 percent in 2005, 15 percent in 2006, 16 percent in 2007 and nearly percent in 2008 or all trucking accidents.

"Every driver on the road has a personal responsibility to operate his or her vehicle with full and uncompromised attention on the driving task," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "Today’s report provides a warning signal that too many Americans are driving after having taken drugs, not realizing the potential for putting themselves and others on the highway at risk."

Administrator Strickland highlights that state drug testing procedures and techniques are indeed evolving. He says that states, and jurisdictions within a state, are allowed to test for different drugs, use different test types and/or employ different concentration thresholds for determining whether a test was positive or not.

"While it’s clear that science and state policies regarding drugs and driving are evolving, one fact is indisputable. If you are taking any drugs that might impair your ability to drive safely, then you need to put common sense and caution to the forefront, and give your keys to someone else. It doesn’t matter if its drugs or alcohol, if you’re impaired, don’t drive," says Strickland.