The California car accident attorneys at Bisnar | Chase keep close track of national accident statistics and trends. We recently came across some numbers that present a very disturbing trend, particularly when nearly 30 million Americans are getting ready to hit the road this Labor Day weekend. A new analysis of government data by our friends at the American Association for Justice reveals that more than 28,000 motor carrier companies representing more than 200,000 commercial trucks are currently operating in violation of federal safety laws.
AAJ has found that motorists are sharing the road with trucks that have raked up thousands of serious safety violations including defective brakes, bad tires, overloading that dangerously exceeds federal truck weight limits, drivers with little or no training/experience and alcohol/drug abuse. AAJ has done us all a huge service by analyzing more than a million lines of data they obtained from the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), which is maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). According to the data, West Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska, Vermont and Iowa had the highest rate of companies in violation of federal safety requirements.
National Truck Accident Statistics
Truck accidents can be devastating. Although trucks make up less than 4 percent of all passenger vehicles on U.S. roads, they are involved in 12 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities. More than 4,000 people die every year in truck accidents and more than 80,000 are seriously injured, according to FMCSA statistics. More people die in truck accidents than in collisions with planes, trains, ships and buses combined. There are many reasons why truck accidents occur. But, what is aggravating is that many of these tragedies are entirely preventable and often are the direct result of trucking companies violating safety standards to cut corners and maximize their own profits.
AAJ's analysis shows defective brakes accounted for more than half of all truck safety violations. For truck drivers, more than 1 percent was found to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. While that may not seem like too many drivers, it potentially accounts for 38,500 truck drivers who are driving under the influence. About 1.9 million trucks on the road are also deemed unsafe!
Safety Violations are Costly for Victims
For these trucking companies cutting corners on safety is "low risk" because their chances of getting caught are pretty slim. In addition to that, insurance requirements for trucking companies have not changed in nearly 30 years. In 1980, Congress set the minimum level of insurance for tractor trailers at $750,000. Since then healthcare costs have skyrocketed, but that amount hasn't changed. If the minimum insurance standards had been adjusted for inflation, the coverage requirement would now be $2 million, the AAJ report states.
While larger companies may carry more insurance, the smaller ones don't. Given the fact that 87 percent of the companies in violation of safety standards have a fleet of 10 trucks or less, injured victims are often forced to depend on Medicare or Medicaid to cover the costs of these devastating accidents. That is ridiculous if you consider the deadly nature of truck accidents, which can leave a victim injured or disabled for life or deprive an entire family of its sole breadwinner.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, please consult with an experienced California personal injury lawyer who will go after these wrongdoers and explore all sources to get a fair compensation for your injuries, damages and loss.
SLS Consulting