Nitro Legal Blog

Drivers in Nevada may be troubled by reports that a significant number of commercial trucks are operating with poorly maintained brakes in violation of safety regulations. Because semi-trucks are so large and heavy, other passengers and drivers in smaller vehicles face a significantly higher risk of serious injury or even death in the case of a truck accident. If a truck's brakes are negligently maintained, the driver may not be able to stop in time in case of an emergency, leading to a catastrophic situation.

Nevertheless, brake maintenance negligence continues to pose a safety threat on the road. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance conducted an inspection spree called Brake Safety Week in September 2018; it followed a similar event one year earlier. In another June inspection blitz, brake issues comprised 28 percent of all serious violations. However, the one-day event in 2017 found so many violations that the organization extended its inspections over a full week in 2018. During the 2018 event, over 14 percent of all of the trucks inspected were ordered off the roads due to braking safety violations. Out of 35,080 trucks inspected across North America during the week, 4,955 had problems so serious that they were placed out of service.

The following are a few proven safety tips that drivers in West Virginia can consider the next time they are traveling in direct sunlight. The early mornings and late afternoons are especially dangerous as the brightness of the rising or setting sun can cause visual illusions. Individuals raise their risk of a life-threatening accident by 16 percent when driving in such conditions.

Drivers should therefore avoid heading out when the sun is at its brightest. If they cannot avoid it, they could try waiting a few minutes until the sun has completely risen or set below the horizon. If the rays hurt their eyes or impede their driving in any other way, drivers can exit the road and wait 10 or 15 minutes for the sun to reposition. Keeping a greater distance from the car in front is also essential as bright sunlight reduces reaction times.

Ice on a sidewalk or other outdoor surface can increase the risk of a slip-and-fall accident. This could result in business or property owners in West Virginia and throughout the country being taken to court. One common method of getting rid of ice is to lay salt down on wet and frozen surfaces. This will either melt existing ice or prevent it from developing.

When laying rock salt or other materials, it is important to spread it evenly. Doing so can help to protect the concrete it is being spread on while helping to protect those walking on it. Those who have wood steps may also want to use salt sparingly as it can eat away at them. It may also be worthwhile to use a sprayer or other tool to put the salt on the ground as it could dry out skin.

More and more people in West Virginia and across the U.S. are dying in large truck crashes. Federal data shows a 28 percent rise in such fatalities from 2009 to 2016. This has led many groups to call for a federal ruling mandating the use of crash avoidance systems on all heavy trucks. The National Transportation Safety Board has been making similar recommendations since the late 1990s.

However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to propose any regulations along those lines. The NTSB criticizes NHTSA for ignoring its recommendations and thus doing nothing about truck crash trends. Only a small percentage of trucking companies implement crash avoidance tech, but those that do say that it can prevent more than 7 out of 10 rear-end collisions as well as reduce the severity of any that occur.