Why won’t the government take action to reduce fatal truck accidents associated with distracted driving and rear end collisions?  A recent case has highlighted the specific issues at hand and why HLH attorneys are so committed to ensuring the safety of those who share the road with tractor trailers and commercial trucks.

One recent case specifically highlights the issues governmental officials have neglected to address.  The case involved an experienced 38 year old truck driver who, according to his employer, had maintained a strong track record of following all rules and putting safety first.  He was recently involved in a fatal truck accident in a neighboring state which resulted in a fiery crash which claimed four lives.

The dash cam within the truck recorded the factors associated with the fatal truck accident.  The driver is staring down at a black tablet as his truck continues down the interstate at 70 mph.  The tape ends seconds later when the truck slams into the back of another vehicle without braking or slowing down.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes that more than 4,300 people lost their lives in accidents involving tractor-trailers and other commercial trucks in the most recent year for which statistics are available.  This is a 28% increase over the past 7 years, and is equal to a Boeing 737 airliner crashing twice a month killing every passenger on board.  Can you imaging the action legislators would take if there were two fatal airplane accidents a month in the United States?

However, the NHTSA has repeatedly rejected pleas from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other parties to take action to reduce these rear end truck accidents which lead to so many catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths each year in Kentucky and across the country.

“Many of these crashes could have been mitigated, or possible even prevented, had rear-end collision avoidance technologies been in place,” said the NTSB in a recent searing critique of the NHTSA.  Automatic emergency braking and collision warning systems are standard features in many of today’s new cars.  Why won’t the government take action to reduce fatal truck accidents associated with distracted driving and rear end collisions?