Important Truck Accident News

Truck Accident Deaths Increase

The latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) showed an increase in number of Americans killed in large truck crashes.

Deaths in large truck accidents rose to over 5,200, and deaths in all motor vehicle accidents rose to over 33,300, according to preliminary 2005 crash statistics reported by NHTSA, an agency in the U.S. Department of Transportation.

A federal agency spokesman concluded that the human cost of highway collisions is nothing short of a “national tragedy.”

Public Interest Groups Challenge Federal Efforts to Weaken Truck Safety Rules

Earlier this year a citizens’ coalition filed a lawsuit to keep exhausted truck drivers off the road.

The public interest coalition groups asked the United States Court of Appeals to stop the U.S. Department of Transportation from weakening national regulations requiring long-haul drivers to get adequate sleep before taking tractor-trailers, semi trucks, or other large trucks out on the highway.

Before 2003, a trucker had to get off the road and take a break at least every 10 hours.  In addition, a truck driver could not operate his or her vehicle over 60 hours in a 7-day work schedule or over 70 hours in an 8-day schedule.

In 2005, the federal agency loosened restrictions on “hours of service.”  The new rules permitted a driver to operate a large truck for 14 hours straight.  Now a trucker can stay on the highway for up to 84 hours in a 7-day period or 98 hours in an 8-day period.

The organizations that initiated the lawsuit to keep the tougher “hours of service” rules include Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT), and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Legal Help for Victims of Michigan Truck Accidents