An advocacy group representing the victims of truck and 18-wheeler accidents is urging President-Elect Joe Biden to institute stronger safety regulations once he takes office in January.
2020 Has Seen 5,000 Truck Accident Deaths in the U.S.
“The annual death, injury and economic toll of truck crashes is staggering. In the past year, 5,000 people have been killed in truck crashes representing a 46 percent increase since 2009,” the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) wrote in a letter sent to the president-elect on December 22nd. “Additionally, nearly 150,000 were injured and the total economic costs of truck crashes exceeded $135 billion. “
A partnership between The Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) Foundation and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT), the TSC is dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by truck-related crashes, providing compassionate support to accident survivors and families of truck crash victims, and educating the public, policy-makers, and media about truck safety issues.
Crash avoidance Tech Among Mandates Sought by TSC
The group’s letter asks the incoming president to issue overdue and ignored safety requirements for new trucks that, for the most part, are already mandated in other countries, including the European Union. The proposed requirements include:
- Crash avoidance technologies such as automatic emergency braking (AEB) as standard equipment on all new trucks and 18-wheelers.
- Stronger guards to prevent cars in a crash from sliding under the rear and side of large trucks
- Speed limiters to reduce the deadly consequences of excessive speeding by large trucks and others.
DOT Hasn’t Advanced a Major Trucking Regulation Under Trump
The letter points out that the U.S. Department of Transportation has not advanced a single major safety regulation in the past four years. Instead, it has relentlessly targeted existing truck safety rules with attacks on the Hours of Service Regulations and enactment of a rule allowing teen truckers to operate in interstate commerce.
“We cannot wait and allow another 20,000 truck crash deaths and 600,000 injuries in the next four years when solutions are already at hand,” the letter continues. “For these reasons we call upon you to fill the leadership positions at NHTSA and FMCSA with qualified, dedicated individuals who are free from motor carrier industry ties and corporate influences and have a history of advancing public health and safety initiatives. “
Along with representatives of CRASH and PATT, the letter was signed by dozens of people who survived trucking-related accidents or who lost loved ones to crashes involving 18-wheelers, heavy trucks, and other commercial motor vehicles.
Contact Our Undefeated Truck Accident Lawyers for a Free Consult by Calling 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here
Our Undefeated Truck and 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyers have won billions for thousands of accident victims and their families against the largest trucking and transportation companies in the world, and consistently recover Record-Setting Verdicts and Settlements for our clients.
If you or someone you love were injured or tragically killed in a trucking-related accident, contact our Experienced Truck Accident Lawyers at 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here to send us a confidential email via our “Contact Us” form.
All consultations are free, and you won’t pay a dime unless we win your case.