Personal Injury Law

Truck Accidents - Consequences of Disregarding Trucking Safety

By Jeffrey Lowe

Large trucks are said to be more likely to be involved in fatal road accidents as compared to passenger vehicles. In fact, the statistics are quite alarming, attributing 9 percent of fatal vehicular crashes to trucks ? a disproportionately large percentage considering how few trucks are on the road vs. cars. Every year, there are thousands of reported accidents and deaths that involve trucks.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), within the United States there were a total of 10,764 reported deaths that involved light trucks in 2008. In Pennsylvania alone, of the 7,987 accidents involving large trucks, 178 resulted in fatalities.

Other countries in the world are not exempt from the consequences of disregarding safety and caution while on the road. In August of this year, a truck accident in India claimed the lives of 38 people while 37 others sustained injuries. Police have reported that the truck, which was crowded with passengers who had come from a party, swerved off the road and into a gorge.

The accident happened in Mandi, a city in the Himalayan foothills. It is in the state of Himachal Pradesh, about 250 miles north from New Delhi.

Roop Chand, a police officer of the Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh, stated that the injured passengers were pulled out from the crash with the help of officers and villagers. Emergency workers toiled on pulling the truck using ropes and pulleys. Chand further stated that the doctors treating the patients revealed that at least 8 of the passengers suffered from critical conditions.

Police figures reveal that 110,000 deaths are attributed to road accidents in India. Public transportation services are poor in a lot of rural areas in the country, and people often use trucks as a mode of transport for traveling long distances. Bad road conditions, overcrowding and poorly-maintained vehicles are some of the main factors that cause these crashes.

Conforming to trucking safety measures, regular maintenance of vehicles and following traffic laws are three essential things that every truck driver and passenger must keep in mind. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of people take these points for granted.

Full post as published by Trucking Accident Attorney Blog on October 20, 2010 (boomark / email).