Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
Truckers and shipping companies are racing to meet demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is understandable, but it is important that meeting demand does not come at the expense of your safety.
Despite The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) best efforts in implementing rules and regulations to avoid accidents and improve driver/vehicle safety, there’s been a 20% increase in the number of commercial truck accidents over the past decade. Thirteen percent of these crashes were directly related to driver fatigue.
In spite of the increase in crashes involving driver fatigue, FSMCA has recently issued an EXPANDED EMERGENCY DECLARATION which suspends the requirement that drivers limit their hours of service. The suspension went into effect on March 13 and will continue until the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. That means for truckers and shipping companies who transport food, medical supplies, and items related to community safety, there are no limits to the hours a driver can go without rest.
Some of the most deadly and dangerous accidents on the roads are caused by large commercial trucks. A shocking number of people– 4,102 total– died in large truck crashes in 2017. Many of these truck wrecks could have been prevented if drivers, shippers, and operators addressed some of the common causes of truck accidents and worked to fix them. The most common causes of truck crashes include: