In a previous blog post, we discussed how rates of fatal truck accidents are increasing across the U.S., and how federal regulators are being criticized for their slow response in passing any meaningful legislation to address the problem. In that post, we also discussed how federal agencies with the power to pass and enforce trucking laws regularly ignore recommendations from agencies like the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), leading experts, and other advocacy groups.
Those recommendations, while far-reaching, are typically made in association with known and well-documented hazards. For example, this includes the need for mandatory side under-ride guards that can prevent devastating injuries when passenger cars slide under the sides of commercial trucks (rear under-ride guards are already mandatory for the same reason), and technology that can prevent rear-end collisions or minimize the damage trucks cause when they do cause rear-end accidents, which are notorious for elevated risks of catastrophic injuries. Some recommendations also focus on a long-standing problem that has existed on American roadways for decades: speeding.
High Speeds & Truck Accident Risks
Speeding is an undeniable risk on our roadways, which is why those speeding tickets you see CHP officers and other law enforcement writing are justified as an enforcement measure that can save lives. However, speeding becomes even more dangerous when commercial trucks are involved. Here are a few of the risks involved:
- More damage – High speeds and motor vehicles can be a bad combination, but when that motor vehicle is a commercial truck that weighs up to 80,000 pounds, risks are increased dramatically. Larger vehicles traveling at higher speeds are harder to control, more difficult to stop and steer, and more likely to cause greater damage compared to smaller standard automobiles traveling at the same rate of speed.
- More victims – Trucks traveling at higher speeds commonly do so on freeways or roads with higher posted speed limits. The risks of speeding trucks not only makes them more likely to crash and cause more damage, it can also increase the risks that multiple vehicles or victims will be involved. For example, speeding trucks are more likely to swing across multiple freeway lanes, exit roadways and run onto sidewalks, strike buildings, homes, or structures, and jackknife or roll over, all of which can increase casualties.
- Cargo risks – Unsecured or improperly loaded cargo can throw commercial trucks off balance, make truckers more likely to lose control of their rigs, and increase risks of fallen cargo that can strike vehicles or create roadway hazards. Those risks increase at higher speeds, especially when it comes to shifting of improperly secured cargo, and open cargo carriers.
Speeding in and of itself can increase accident risks, and speeding trucks can exponentially increase risks of accidents that result in serious injuries or death. It can also be a contributing factor behind serious collisions that involve other acts of negligence or trucking regulation violations, such as:
- Drunk or impaired driving
- Driver distraction
- Fatigued and drowsy driving
- Cargo securement and loading violations
- Improperly maintained trucks
- Defective auto parts
When speeding plays a factor in a truck accident case, or any car accident case for that matter, our attorneys at Biren Law Group work diligently to help victims and their families show how speeding is a dangerous, negligent, and often unlawful act that motorists know can put others around them in danger. By establishing fault and liability, we guide clients toward the financial recoveries they deserve, and fight back against insurance providers and corporate entities that want only to pay them as little as possible.
Biren Law Group is comprised of top-rated personal injury lawyers who serve Los Angeles and all of Southern California. If you have a potential case to discuss – involving a truck accident, car accident, or any other preventable incident resulting in harm and losses – we encourage you to contact us to learn more about your rights and options. Contact us to request a free case review.