Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
Findings from a recently released study from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) concluded that governing the speed limits on our nation’s roadways, especially of commercial trucks, may be the way to go.
Reducing speed limits may be the key to helping us to achieve safer roadways and fewer trucking accidents and elsewhere. Transportation officials with the FMCSA have determined that there are plenty of benefits of in-vehicle technology that can govern and limit the top speed of commercial trucks.
It’s these same trucks that often produce fatal results in roadway accidents.
“This study confirms what ATA has been saying for years – speed kills and one of the most effective ways to prevent hundreds, if not thousands, of crashes on our highways is to slow all vehicles down,” said Bill Graves, President and CEO American Trucking Associations.
Our Wilton Manors injury attorneys understand that the ATA petitioned both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the FMCSA nearly 10 years ago in an attempt to mandate the installation and the use of these speed regulation devices on all commercial vehicles that were made after 1992.
The recent FMCSA study backs up the ATA’s claims as they continue to call on rules and regulations to require these devices on most, if not all, trucks on our roadways, according to Vehicle Service Pros.
Researchers with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the American Transportation Research Institute completed this most recent study.
Speed is one of the most common factors in fatal accidents across the country. Still, drivers of all kinds continue to push the pedal to the metal and risk their lives in doing so.
According to Graves, slowing down these large commercial trucks may be one of the most beneficial ways to help make our roadways safer for everyone. Both he and the ATA are proposing a measure to make a national speed limit of 65 miles per hour for all vehicles. He goes on to give a big thanks to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for backing such a thorough study. And he is asking officials to use these findings to create new safety regulations for large trucks throughout the nation.
Speed can be found as a top factor in about a third of all fatal accidents, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Officials estimate that speed-related accidents result in an economic cost to U.S. society of more than $27 billion each year.
Speed significantly reduces the amount of time that a driver has to react to a roadway danger and a potential accident. The faster a vehicle is driving, the higher the risks are for an accident. Slow it down and keep it safe.
If you or someone you love have been injured or killed in a trucking accident in South Florida, including Wilton Manors, West Palm Beach or in any of the surrounding areas, contact Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez for legal assistance. Call 1-800-561-7777 to set up a free appointment to discuss your rights.
More Blog Entries:
Car Accidents in Riviera Beach and Elsewhere Targeted by FHP Safety Campaign, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, April 2, 2012
Advocates Warn Teens of Large Truck Accidents in West Palm and Elsewhere, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, June 8, 2011