Truck Accidents and Recent Hours-of-Service Changes

02 Jul Truck Accidents and Recent Hours-of-Service Changes

Truck accidents are unfortunately common on American roads given the lax rules surrounding this industry. Even though there are hours-of-service rules, it’s not uncommon for a truck driver to work for more than 24 hours without getting adequate rest. This, in turn, leads to distracted driving as well as fatigue, two things that lead to the occurrence of numerous 18-wheeler crashes. If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, contact a crash truck rental service immediately and don’t ever hesitate to call your trusted truck accident lawyer for legal support. Whatever the situation, when it comes to accidents on the road, professional attorneys like the ones at criminal law solicitors Leyland have the expertise to help.

One Texas woman is currently fighting the lax truck driving rules stating that the senate’s decision to not do anything to protect the lives of other drivers is appalling and irresponsible. Mrs. Marianne Black’s activism came after a car she was driving was hit by an 18- wheeler as she was on her way to attend a graduation ceremony with her daughters. Marianne’s surviving daughter said that they can’t go back and save her siblings, but they can move forward and try to make positive changes in the lives of other people so they won’t have to deal with a similar occurrence.

The family’s activism took them to Washington D.C. in order to push for tighter laws in order to keep distracted and fatigued drivers off the road. Congress is currently considering reversing a rule which effectively limits a truck driver to working a maximum of 70 hours per week. If they do roll back this recent hours-of-service change, the limit goes back to over 80 hours per week.

As you may be aware, comedian Tracy Morgan was injured early this month on a New Jersey turnpike when the vehicle that he was in was hit by a Walmart truck. He sustained critical injuries and required hospitalization and surgery.

In response to the facts of this accident by the medical field, U.S senator Chuck Schumer recently launched a plan to keep fatigued drivers off the road to protect the general public. The senator acknowledged the fact that most of the accidents involving truck drivers occurred due to fatigue caused by driver working for unreasonably long amounts of time in order to meet company requirements with regard to delivery. Additionally, he stated that the government could not rely on companies to set the rules themselves owing to the competition in the industry. Also, attorneys for car accident injuries should ensure that the victims get proper legal support.

Schumer also suggested that electronic logging devices would prevent people from falsifying records when it came to logging the amount of time they spent on the road driving. Given the seriousness of these accidents, these recommendations would be a welcome change and enhance road safety as well as compliance.