In an effort to improve the safety of the nation’s highways, the government commission on highway safety recently put out of list of ways to reduce large truck accidents. Though tractor-trailer crashes are a lower percentage of all highway accidents, the fatality rate per crash is usually higher. Drivers in West Virginia may experience safer roads if the measures are implemented.
The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, issued a “wish list” for 10 areas of improvement that the organization feels will be beneficial to highway travel. The NTSB acts as a form of advisory board to a number of regulatory agencies in the transportation field.
Some of the recommendations are restatements of old issues, such as impaired driving, speed-related accidents and driver fatigue. Even these areas have new wrinkles. For example, in the area of driver impairment, alcohol was the main area of concern in past years. Now, NTSB members realize that drugs such as opioids and cannabis-based drugs may be an area of concern. To reduce speed-related accidents, the board recommends mandatory installation of speed restrictors on large trucks.
In other areas, the NTSB is placing high importance of implementing new safety technologies. Collision avoidance systems, such as those that warn the driver of approaching vehicles, are becoming more popular in U.S. vehicles as technology improves. The NTSB recommends mandatory implementation of this type of system as well as automatic braking systems in all large trucks and buses.
When a driver is involved in a crash with a large truck or bus, the chances of serious injury increase. When this occurs, a person may seek the assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney. As medical bills mount up and wages continue to be lost, an attorney fighting for recovery of these expenses might be one step in helping the victim recover.