Legal News You Can Use

Excessive speed continues to be a risk factor in tractor-trailer crashes. In 2006 the American Trucking Association (ATA) called upon the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to limit the maximum speed of tractor-trailers to 68 mph in an effort to curtail the number of accidents involving tractor-trailers. These behemoths of the interstate have been a prime cause of traffic fatalities and property damage in all fifty states. By petitioning NHTSA, the ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said the trucking industry is trying to participate in the nation-wide movement to slow down traffic and reduce the rate of injury. “No vehicle should be capable of operating at excessive speeds on our nation’s highways”, Graves said.
Speed related traffic accidents are only one of the ATA’s concerns for the health, safety, and sustainability of the trucking industry in this country. In addition, the ATA has called for universal primary seatbelt laws in all 50 states, and for an increased awareness on the part of motorists to unsafe driving behavior near and around tractor-trailers. At this time, most federal efforts to reduce the rate of traffic accidents involving tractor-trailers have focused on equipment maintenance, driver fatigue, and the prevention of driver impairment. However, the ATA thinks the part played by excessive speed has gone overlooked. Although it is difficult to conceive of a way in which federal aid could be devoted to this problem, research indicates that speed plays a role in the majority of crashes.