Study Finds Speed Reduction Leads to a Decrease in Truck Accidents
Mar 23, 2017
Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Perlmutter & Schuelke, PLLC
Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) March 23, 2017 – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would like to mandate speed limits on commercial vehicles. The results of the NHTSA studies show that reducing speed increases safety for all drivers on the road.
Speeding is one of the most common causes of accidents involving big rigs. In fact, a study carried out by the Virginia Tech University Transportation Institute (VTUTI) and the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) in 2012 indicates that reducing the speed of trucks on the road would decrease the number of truck collisions. The study looked at 15,000 crashes, involving 138,000 18-wheelers in 20 different fleets.
Despite the evidence that big rig speeding is dangerous and that there are a significant number of big rig crashes every year, the trucking lobby is working to prevent the NHTSA from adopting the rule limiting speed. The industry argues that if the speed limit rule is brought in, then the NHTSA should also mandate a nationwide maximum vehicle speed of 65 miles-per-hour, in an attempt to keep the differential between cars and truck as equal as possible. The trucking industry sees speed limits as acting to reduce their profitability.
The study was undertaken to find supporting evidence for a proposed rule to make it mandatory to install speed limits on commercial vehicles. The NHTSA proposed rule would physically inhibit trucks from going over a maximum speed of 68 miles-per-hour. Speed limits on commercial trucks would help prevent collisions, decrease the severity of injuries sustained and increase overall traffic safety.
In addition, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) points out that nearly one quarter of all accidents on the highway involved a speeding trucker. For further information on the causes of trucking accidents, visit the FMCSA website.
The most common causes of trucking accidents may include, but are not limited to:
· Inexperienced drivers
· Improperly trained drivers
· Defective truck equipment
· Improperly loaded cargo
· Distracted driving
· Drug use
· Use of alcohol
· Aggressive driving
· Driver fatigue
· Speeding
· Unsafe lane changes
· Failure to maintain proper distance
“Trucking accidents are usually very catastrophic and anyone involved in an accident with one needs to speak to a competent attorney as quickly as possible to ensure their legal rights are protected and evidence at the scene is also protected,” said Austin trucking accident attorney, Brooks Schuelke.
Learn more at http://www.civtrial.com
Perlmutter & Schuelke, PLLC
206 East 9th Street, Ste. 1511
Austin, TX 78701
Call (512) 476-4944
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