Why the US Leads High-Income Countries in the Number of Road Deaths

Why the US Leads High-Income Countries in the Number of Road Deaths

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 90 people die each day in the United States due to motor vehicle crashes. That number is almost double the number of roadway deaths of any other high-income country. Between 2000 and 2013, the U.S. reduced highway deaths by approximately 31 percent. Many analysts agree that vehicle crash fatalities could be further reduced in the U.S. by adopting proven strategies.

Who is at highest risk?

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 90 percent of crash-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. In high-income countries like the United States, people from lower socioeconomic levels are more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash. Young males are three times more likely to die in a vehicle crash than young females.

Common causes of vehicle deaths

To effectively reduce the number of highway deaths, it is important to understand the causes. Doing so can help individuals, vehicle manufacturers and lawmakers address safety issues to minimize the risk of crashes and prevent serious injuries and deaths when accidents do occur.

  • Speed is directly related to both the likelihood of having a crash and the probability that deaths will occur in the accident. A personal injury attorney can advise pedestrians or passengers who have been injured due to speeding of their rights and options.
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive drugs accounts for nearly one-third of all U.S. traffic-related deaths. A person driving after taking amphetamines is five times more likely to be in a fatal accident than someone who hasn’t.
  • Proper use of safety equipment can significantly reduce fatalities. Wearing a motorcycle helmet reduces the risk of death in an accident by 40 percent. Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of death for front seat passengers by as much as 50 percent.
  • Distracted driving is an evolving problem as new technologies emerge. Drivers using phones are four times more likely to be in a crash. Drivers using hands-free devices are not much safer.

What can be done?

Erin Sauber-Schatz, Ph.D., M.P.H. is a team leader for the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Erin says 10,000 lives could be saved every year by eliminating alcohol-impaired driving. An additional 3,000 deaths could be prevented by increasing seat belt usage to 100 percent.

When Trucks with Defective Parts Hit the Road

When Trucks with Defective Parts Hit the Road

While many truck accidents are caused by driver mistakes, some result because of defective parts on vehicles. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, almost 30 percent of accidents involving large trucks happen because of part failures. Identifying the parties who are responsible in cases involving defective components can be complicated. Victims may need to get help from expert witnesses who can demonstrate the link between the failed part and the accident’s cause. A truck accident lawyer may work with experts and investigators to help to prove liability and causation.

Common Truck Component Defects

There are a number of different defects that can lead to serious truck collisions. The FMCSA reports that brake failures are one of the leading causes of accidents related to defective parts. Other component defects that may lead to accidents include lighting problems, door and hood failures, wheel defects, engine or transmission failures and attachment system failures. Any of these defects may lead to serious accidents involving the trucks alone or other vehicles.

Defect Categories

In cases involving defective parts, there are three primary categories of defects. These include design defects, manufacturing defects and maintenance issues. Components that have design defects are parts that have problems in their initial designs, causing them to not function as intended. Parts that have manufacturing defects are made incorrectly, causing them to fail. Poorly maintained parts can also lead to failures and accidents. Companies are supposed to routinely inspect and maintain their trucks. When they fail to do so, the companies may be liable for resulting lawsuits. Some companies contract out their repair and maintenance work to third-party contractors. In those cases, the third-party repair and maintenance companies may be named as the defendants in resulting lawsuits.

Damages

People who are seriously injured in truck accidents may suffer both economic and noneconomic losses. By filing lawsuits against the responsible parties, they may recover compensation for both. The amount of damages that might be available in a case will vary depending on the losses and on what happened. Before agreeing to accept proposed settlements, it is important for people to understand how to correctly value their claims. Determining the potential claim value should include calculations of past and future medical costs, past and future lost earnings, pain and suffering, disfigurement and others. A truck accident lawyer may help to value a claim by calculating damages in the various categories.

Hazardous Materials Pose Substantial Risks in Truck Accidents

Hazardous Materials Pose Substantial Risks in Truck Accidents

Trucks that are used to transport hazardous materials pose much greater dangers than do other large trucks, including toxic exposures, fires, environmental damage, and explosions. Because of the risks, trucking carriers must carry higher liability insurance coverage on their hazmat trucks. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates the transportation of hazardous materials and it classifies them into nine different categories.

Hazardous Materials Categories

When a truck is transporting a hazardous material, the material and the truck must be properly marked and classified. The FMCSA classifies the materials as explosives, flammable liquids, flammable solids, gases, oxidizers, poisons, radioactive material, corrosives and miscellaneous hazardous materials. By requiring markings on trucks that identify the classes of materials that they are transporting, the FMCSA is trying to make certain that other motorists understand the dangers that the chemicals pose. They also are meant to help first responders and law enforcement officers who respond to truck accidents and spills.

Accident Dangers with Hazmat Trucks

When truck accidents involving trucks that are transporting hazard chemicals happen, spills may occur. The dangers that the chemicals pose to other motorists depend on what they are. Accident victims may suffer chemical burns or thermal burns. They may be injured or killed in explosions, suffer amputations, suffer poisonings or be exposed to cancer-causing agents. In addition, some chemicals that seep into the ground may be radioactive, placing everyone who lives in the area at risk of harm if the chemicals get into the water supply.

Common Hazmat Truck Accident Causes

While accidents may be caused by many different things, there are several common causes of accidents involving trucks carrying hazardous materials. One of the most common problems happens because of improperly securing the material when it is loaded. Loads that are not secured properly may be likelier to spill or to roll away from the truck. If they shift, they may also be likelier to explode. Driver errors are also common causes of hazmat truck accidents. Drivers who turn left too fast, speed, follow other vehicles too closely or drive while they are distracted or impaired place others at risk of accident involvement.

When hazmat accidents happen, the victims may be permanently disabled or disfigured and they may also die. A semi truck accident lawyer represents victims and their families in the recovery of damages from hazmat accidents.

Sleep Apnea Screening Rule Withdrawn by DOT

Sleep Apnea Screening Rule Withdrawn by DOT

A proposed rule that would have required truck drivers to submit to screenings for sleep apnea has been withdrawn by the Department of Transportation. The rule faced fierce opposition from truck drivers and some members of the trucking industry. The rule would have offered clarification to carriers and medical examiners concerning when truck drivers should be referred for sleep apnea testing. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a notice on Aug. 4, 2017, announcing its withdrawal of the rule.

Rule Withdrawal

The FMCSA has been working on the sleep apnea rule protocol since 2016. It asked for input from the industry about when referrals should be made in its pre-rule notice. The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and the MRB recommended that truck drivers whose body mass indices exceeded 40 should be referred for sleep apnea testing. Truck drivers were overwhelmingly against the proposed rule because it would have required a large number of drivers to be tested because of age and weight requirements. The rule withdrawal also comes in an anti-regulatory environment under the current administration. Federal agencies have been asked to get rid of two regulations for every new one that is proposed.

Why the Sleep Apnea Rule Was Proposed

Untreated sleep apnea has been demonstrated to have a strong correlation with dangerous driving. In one study that was presented at the Sleep and Breathing Conference in Berlin on April 12, 2013, the researchers found that people who have sleep apnea are likelier to report falling asleep behind the wheel and to fail driving simulator tests. This study as well as others that demonstrate that drowsy and fatigued driving may be nearly as dangerous as drunk driving have long been a concern for safety experts. A truck accident lawyer sometimes handles injury cases involving truck drivers who fell asleep at the wheel.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the muscles of the upper airway become so slack that the opening through which breathing occurs is cut off. This causes the sufferers to startle and wake slightly, and the pattern may repeat itself frequently throughout the night. Sleep apnea sufferers may thus get little quality sleep, making them drowsy during the daytime. A truck accident lawyer may investigate an accident to determine whether or not a driver had sleep apnea, causing the resulting injury accident. Doing so may help to prove the driver’s fault.

Side Underride Guards Save Lives

Side Underride Guards Save Lives

Recent studies reveal that many of the serious, life changing and even deadly injuries every year caused by underride crashes can be minimized or prevented completely with the use of a new safety device. The product, known as AngelWing, is a side underride guard that is specifically designed to prevent passengers in smaller vehicles from suffering serious injuries or death in the event of a side collision with a large truck.

According to recent statistics, more than 200 victims are killed and even more are seriously injured by underride accidents in the United States every year. While federal law requires semi trucks to have rear underride guards in place, side guards are not currently required. And despite reports by the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) that conclude that side guards would reduce the risk of injury and death on America’s roadways, and their recommendation to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NTHSA) that all new truck trailers be equipped with side underride protection, the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association continues to oppose such a requirement. The industry’s lobbying arm cites the additional costs, various technical challenges, and the concern that these side guards could add significant weight to a trailer or dangerously weaken its parts.

An Effective Solution for Semi Truck Underride Crashes

Approximately 62 percent of a large truck trailer’s length is protected when side underride guards are in place. Without these guards, only about 15 feet are protected. And while many semi trucks are currently equipped with composite side fairings, they are not designed to withstand the impact of a crash.

A recent study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) evaluated the effectiveness of AngelWing guards in 35 mph. side collisions versus side fairing skirts that were designed to enhance aerodynamics only. The results were dramatic, with the AngelWing guards preventing the smaller test vehicles from moving underneath the large truck, and the composite side fairings allowing the cars to slide under the trailer. When the car passed under the truck trailer, part of the roof of the smaller vehicle was sheared off and the car became wedged beneath the truck. If the simulations had included moving vehicles, those without AngelWing protection could have resulted in overturned trailers or the vehicle coming into contact with the rear axles. In real life, this type of crash would likely have caused severe, disabling injuries or fatalities.

Will Automation Put the Brakes on Rear-End Accidents?

Will Automation Put the Brakes on Rear-End Accidents?

Front-crash collision systems such as automatic brakes and collision warnings have been demonstrated to be highly effective in preventing rear-end accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reviewed data to determine how effective these newer types of collision avoidance systems are and found that they greatly reduce the rates of rear-end crashes. An auto accident attorney represents victims of rear-end collisions to help them to recover damages when they have suffered injuries and financial harm.

How Effective Are Front Collision Systems?

Front collision warning systems have sensors to detect other vehicles or objects ahead of the vehicles in which they are installed and alert the drivers of their presence so that they can react in time. Automatic braking systems detect other vehicles and objects and automatically apply brakes to the vehicles to help them slow down in time to avoid collisions.

Early research about collision avoidance systems was conducted using information from insurance claims. While this data continues to be useful for studying crash avoidance technology, it has its limitations. To more accurately determine how effective these systems are in preventing accidents, the IIHS reviewed police reports from accidents and evaluated how front crash warning systems and automatic braking systems relate to the rate of rear-end collisions. The IIHS found that vehicles that are equipped with automatic braking systems had 39 percent fewer accidents. Those that had front-crash warning systems without automatic brakes were involved in 23 percent fewer collisions than vehicles that did not have these types of collision avoidance technologies.

What the Data Means

The IIHS states that if all vehicles had the front crash collision avoidance systems installed in 2013 during the study period, there would have been 700,000 fewer accidents and 300,000 fewer injuries. The efficacy of these systems has led the IIHS and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recommend that they are offered as standard equipment on all new vehicles. Until the industry is required to offer these types of systems on their cars, people who are in the market for new vehicles can choose models that have the systems already installed or add them as options.

While safety technology will not prevent all accidents, its availability may help people to avoid them. Since motor vehicle collisions may result in significant injuries or deaths, taking steps to prevent them and implementing the use of advanced technology is important.