While trucks and buses are essential parts of the economy, large commercial vehicles are also responsible for an astounding number of fatal accidents. It’s reported that truck accidents lead to nearly 5,000 fatal accidents a year with the numbers increasing every year. Over 100,000 trucking accidents have led to some kind of injury.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has long been reluctant to impose technological requirements that would take control away from drivers, but they’ve recently announced that all heavy trucks and buses will be required to have automatic emergency braking systems that would activate before a collision. This is similar to a previous announcement regarding light trucks and new passenger vehicles.
How would this help?
In theory, this simple change would reduce thousands of accidents because of speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving and delayed braking involving other vehicles and pedestrians. AEBs are expected to reduce the number of rollover accidents, jackknifes and rear-end crashes. By the NHTSA’s own estimates, 155 lives can be saved every year – and 20,000 crashes averted.
This change to reduce trucking accidents by using automatic emergency braking can not come soon enough. Because of the sheer size and weight of large commercial vehicles, the potential for devastating accidents is much higher than when smaller vehicles are involved. Even when an accident isn’t fatal, the survivors may experience life-altering injuries from which they never fully recover.
If you were injured in a wreck with a commercial vehicle or your loved one was killed, you have every right to ask for compensation as a measure of justice. Experienced legal guidance can help protect your interests.