Advanced safety technology in large trucks may greatly reduce the number of truck accidents in Tennessee and elsewhere, according to a new report. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 63,000 truck accidents could be prevented each year if trucking companies installed safety technologies on all of the trucks in their fleets. The organization reviewed data about lane-departure warning systems, automatic braking systems, video safety systems and air disc brakes and recommended that companies install all of them.
Effects of Safety Technology
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reviewed the literature of truck accidents and the data about various types of safety technology. They found that the installation of lane-departure warning systems in all of the trucks in the U.S. could save 115 lives, prevent 1,342 injuries and result in 6,372 fewer crashes each year. Onboard video safety systems would prevent 17,333 injuries, save 293 lives and prevent as many as 63,000 truck accidents annually.
The foundation also found that automatic brake systems could save 55 lives and prevent 5,294 accidents and 2,753 injuries. Finally, air disc brake installations could save 37 lives while preventing 2,411 accidents and 1,447 injuries. The foundation recommends that these systems be installed on all trucks to help to prevent truck accidents that cause severe injuries and death.
Why Aren’t the Systems Used More Often?
These technologies are relatively new and are treated as options instead of as standard equipment on new trucks. Some carriers choose to purchase trucks without these options to save money. In addition, many carriers have fleets of trucks that are older. They argue that the cost of retrofitting their fleets would be prohibitive. There are no current regulations that require that manufacturers include these systems on new vehicles or that companies install them on their existing fleets.
Despite the initial cost outlays, companies could derive several benefits by installing advanced safety technology in their fleets. They could help to prevent accidents, deaths, and injuries. The installation of safety technology could also save substantial amounts of money over the long term by reducing the number of claims and payouts. When truck accidents happen, a truck wreck attorney may represent injured victims to help them to recover damages from the trucking companies and drivers for their losses