A study released earlier this year by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) concluded that drivers of large trucks involved in truck crashes are ten times more likely to be the cause of the crash when compared to other factors such as road conditions, weather conditions, or problems with the vehicle. This was the first study that focused on analyzing pre-crash factors.
This study reinforces what proponents of truck safety have been saying. More time needs to be spent training truck drivers to make sure they drive with the highest degree of care. These truck safety advocates efforts have largely fell on deaf ears with the current administration in Washington, which consistently has favored loosening regulations of truck drivers and the companies that employ them instead of the safety of the public on the road. Maybe the millions of dollars big business has donated to the Bush administration and the Republican party have been rewarded. But remember, no one should put profits over safety, and every politician that does will have to answer to the voters for their actions some day. Also every trucking company that does so, may end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit by the family members of someone killed by a trucker who has been driving too long and too fast.
