Safety Improvements that could make Denver Trucking Wrecks Less of a Factor

Motorists throughout Denver, Greenwood Village and Steamboat Springs Colorado are at risk of being hurt or even killed if truckers do not take safety seriously. Unfortunately, truck safety laws are lacking in some important areas. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)has indicated that it hopes to change that. A truck accident lawyer knows that new safety rules could make a big difference in reducing truck accident risks and saving lives, so hopefully the NTSB will be successful at implementing new and more effective regulations.

NTSB Aims to Improve Truck Safety

The NTSB makes a list each year of the “Most Wanted” policies and actions that that agency believes need safety improvements. This list sets the road map for the upcoming year for the NTSB, and the NTSB hopes that legislators and policymakers will also consider the suggested list of improvements and modifications.

The NTSB board member who has been nominated to be the board’s new chairman believes that it is important to approach improvements to truck safety by incorporating a “broad spectrum” of policies that include things like making sure drivers are fit to drive, as well as improving vehicle maintenance rules and regulations. New safety technologies in trucks is also a top priority.

Although the NTSB has mentioned things like imposing stricter rules for checking if truckers are medically fit for driving, there are plenty of other proposals that the agency may wish to consider if it is serious about truck safety. Tire Business reports on some recommendations that the American Trucking Association (ATA) made recently to a Senate subcommittee on improving truck safety.

The ATA’s suggestions for new safety regulations that it has urged the government to consider include:

• Requiring that all trucks use speed-limiters.Shifting the focus from the current model of inspecting vehicles on the roadside to ensure rules are being followed to instead focusing on enforcing driver behavior and on-road traffic rules.
• Putting incentives in place for the use of various crash avoidance technologies like forward collision warning systems that alert drivers to impending obstacles, or lane departure warning systems that let drivers know they’ve veered out of their lane.Creating a strong mandate for the use of electronic devices to log trucker hours.
• Developing new training rules and protocols that are less focused on the number of hours that a trucker has driven and more focused on making sure that they test comprehension and performance.
• Reworking the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) system so that the system can be more effectively focused on carriers that are considered high risk.
• Congressional monitoring of studies that are going on right now to determine the impact of changes to the hours-of-service rules. Some of the hours-or-service rules have been suspended by congressional amendment, including a requirement for overnight rest periods between 1:00 and 5:00 am. These studies would assess the impact of the suspended rules.

It remains to be seen whether the NTSB will move forward with broader safety efforts or whether congress will take the recommendations of the American Trucking Association to try to improve safety.

If you have questions about these issues, contact one of our experienced personal injury attorneys at the law firm of Bell & Pollock P.C. as soon as possible so we can help you formulate your Legal Game Plan.™

From our offices conveniently located in Denver, and Steamboat Springs, our lawyers provide the highest quality legal services to injured people throughout the Denver metro area, Arapahoe County, Routt County and throughout the entire state of Colorado.

Now a Word from Bradley Pollock

By Bradley Pollock of Bell & Pollock Injury Attorneys

A person injured in a car crash can seek compensation from the other driver’s liability insurance company. Almost all states require every registered vehicle or licensed driver have some vehicle liability insurance. When considering the cost of medical care the minimum amount of coverage legally required in Colorado is quite low 25,000.00 per crash victim, $50,000.00 total for all injured people per crash.

If the other driver or owner has no insurance, or has insufficient coverage to pay you fully for your injuries, you may be able to get additional compensation through the uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage of your own policy. Your own policy may also provide medical payments coverage for immediate payment of some medical bills.

The following are brief descriptions of more types of coverage that an insurance carrier may offer. Coverage may vary slightly among insurance companies, so check your own policy to determine the exact rules of coverage and claims.

Liability. If you are at all legally responsible or, liable for a crash, liability coverage compensates victims for their injuries and damage to their property.

Uninsured Motorist. This coverage provides compensation from your own insurance company if you or the occupants of your vehicle are injured in a crash and the at fault party does not have liability coverage.

Underinsured Motorist. If you are injured in a crash with someone who has liability insurance insufficient to cover the full amount of your damages, your own underinsured motorist coverage may make up the difference.

Medical Payments. This coverage in your own insurance policy may pay your medical bills, or those of any occupant of your car, regardless of who was at fault in a crash.

Collision. Your insurance company pays for damage to your own vehicle minus your deductible regardless of fault. If involved in a car crash, it is usually the at fault party’s insurance carrier that pays for the property damage provided the at fault party has collision coverage.

It is imperative to review your policy to determine the coverages contained in your policy. After you are in a car crash is a terrible time to find out you don’t have the appropriate insurance coverage.

If you have questions about these issues, or if you’ve been injured by a drunk driver or a driver under the influence, contact one of our experienced personal-injury attorneys at the law firm of Bell & Pollock P.C. as soon as possible so we can help you formulate your Legal Game Plan.™