If you were a truck accident lawyer in Los Angeles, you would know that about half of all crashes involving commercial trucks are preventable. “How can they be prevented?” you may be wondering. The short answer is this: by improving the existing safety regulations and enforcing new ones.
Fact #1: Each year, about 5,000 Americans lose their lives in truck accidents all across the nation.
If you ask any truck driver or trucking company in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California, they will say that the commercial trucking industry is already heavily regulated. But this is not entirely true, as the existing safety legislation is outdated and requires a fresh look from federal regulators.
Federal regulations for the trucking industry
Currently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates all of the following:
- The number of consecutive hours truck drivers are allowed to drive trucks without rest;
- Securement and loading of cargo;
- Truck inspection and maintenance;
- Hiring and training of truckers; and
- Alcohol and drug testing before, during, and after trips.
“Wait, aren’t these five enough to prevent truck accidents in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California?” you may be wondering. Given that the annual number of truck accidents keeps increasing almost every year, it is clear that the existing trucking regulations are not exactly flawless.
Fact #2: There was a 30-percent increase in the number of truck accident deaths in the U.S. from 2009 to 2016.
What regulations could help prevent truck accidents?
Safety advocates and our Los Angeles truck accident lawyers alike cannot stress enough the importance of introducing harsher federal regulations to decrease the annual number of truck accidents in Los Angeles and all across California. Given that there is little legislative action from federal regulators, our attorneys from the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg have taken it upon themselves to suggest four solutions that can help prevent a large percentage of truck crashes in California.
- Adopt crash-avoidance technology: Can you believe that it’s almost 2019 and we still have no crash-avoidance technology for trucks that would be required by law? It has been proven by researchers that crash-avoidance technology can reduce the severity and frequency of truck accidents, especially those involving rear-end collisions as well as crashes caused by the driver’s failure to notice other vehicles due to blind spots. Despite the fast-paced advances in automobile technology, California lawmakers have yet to pass laws requiring crash-avoidance technology for trucks.
- Speed-limiting technology: Traveling at speeds above the legally allowable limit is a major contributor to truck accidents in California and all across the U.S., which is why implementing speed-limiting and automatic brake technology at a federal law could potentially reduce the severity of truck crashes.
- Less bureaucracy: “Bureaucratic sluggishness is arguably the biggest factor preventing federal regulators from passing new and improved trucking regulations to increase safety,” says our Los Angeles truck accident attorney.
- Effective lobbying: Impotent lobbying or lack thereof is also something that has made it nearly impossible to improve the existing safety legislation in the commercial trucking industry or pass new laws to improve safety and prevent truck accidents in California.
The risk of suffering harm in a truck accident is extremely high, largely due to the fact that federal regulators have yet to work on improving safety regulations for the trucking industry. If you have been injured in a truck crash in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California, talk to our highly qualified attorney from the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg. Get a free consultation by calling 310-997-0904.
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