Crash tests find tractor trailer underride guards often fail

Most tractor trailers are required to have underride guards, steel bars that hang from the backs of trailers to prevent a passenger car from moving underneath the truck during a crash. According to the IIHS, when a passenger vehicle ends up under a truck, the top of the occupant compartment gets crushed because the structures designed to absorb the energy of the crash are bypassed. The airbags and safety belts can’t do their jobs and people inside can experience life-threatening head and neck injuries.

Earlier research from the IIHS showed the minimum strength and dimensions required for underride guards were inadequate, prompting the Institute to petition the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2011 for tougher standards. The Institute also asked the NHTSA to consider applying the standards to other types of large trucks, such as dump trucks that aren’t required to have any underride guards. […]

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Congress weakened trucking laws days before Tracy Morgan crash

The driver of a Wal-Mart truck has been charged in connection with the wreck this past weekend on the New Jersey turnpike that critically injured Tracy Morgan and left another man dead. News sources are reporting that the truck driver was dozing at the time of the crash.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), fatigue is a leading factor in large truck crashes. That is just one reason why the move by Congress to suspend a requirement that truck drivers rest for at least 34 consecutive hours between workweeks is so shocking. Highway safety advocates said the amendment could increase the risk of fatal accidents involving tractor-trailers.

The amendment was sponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has been sharply criticized by transportation safety groups for the effort to change the rules. Specifically, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 21-9 to rescind portions of the rules that require truck driver to take breaks between 1 and 5a.m. […]

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Actor and Comedian Tracy Morgan critically injured in New Jersey tractor trailer crash

Deadly tractor trailer crash leaves one dead and several, including Tracy Morgan, seriously injured

Former Saturday Live Cast Member and “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan was critically injured early this morning when the limo bus he was riding in was hit by a tractor-trailer in a fatal six-vehicle accident on the New Jersey Turnpike, about 50 miles south of New York City. The crash left one passenger in the limo bus dead and several others with serious injuries. The Los Angeles Times reported that the limo bus was overturned after being hit by a tractor-trailer.

Two tractor-trailers were involved in the crash, which occurred about 1a.m. in the northbound lane in Robinsville. Earlier in the evening, Morgan had appeared at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, as part of his multi-city comedy tour called “Turn It Funny.”

ABC News is reporting that a dozing truck driver didn’t see traffic slowing in front of his 18-wheeler until it was too late, […]

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Pennsylvania turnpike worker killed by tractor-trailer

A fatal accident had a portion of the Pennsylvania turnpike in Chester County closed yesterday morning. A 61-year-old turnpike equipment operator, who was part of a crew completing maintenance in a closed lane, was struck and killed when a tractor-trailer entered the lane. Another turnpike worker was also injured in the accident. The deadly accident occurred in West Pikeland Township, shortly after 8a.m. on the westbound lane of the PA turnpike.

According to the Unites States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Safety Administration, almost 30% of all work zone crashes involve large trucks. They report that the number of people killed in work zone crashes involving large trucks has also been increasing, with over 1,000 fatalities and 180,000 injuries occurring during the last five years.

Highway work zones are hazardous not only for both motorists who drive through the complex array of signs and lane changes, […]

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Are Stricter Penalties Needed to Keep Truck Drivers Focused on the Road? A Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyer Weighs In.

An investigation by an ABC news station in New York over a three-week period found that truck drivers on some of New York’s busiest highways are texting or talking on their cell phones while driving.

The investigative reporter said that the hidden camera investigation caught “truck drivers routinely, illegally and dangerously texting and talking on phones.” One camera caught a truck driver and his co-workers, all in the front seat, with all with eyes, including the drivers, focused on a cell phone. On another highway, a truck driver was filmed using two phones simultaneously while driving.

According to Eyewitness News 7 in New York, the Department of Transportation says that last year nearly 16,000 truckers were ticketed for using their cell phone, but only 4 of those were suspended and taken out of service. Eyewitness news referred to this as an epidemic and deadly problem. […]

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