Dedicated To Helping Injured People

Dedicated To Helping Injured
People

Exterior of Office Building of The Gaar Law Firm | Trail Attorneys

Law proposes lower speed limits to prevent truck accidents

On Behalf of | Apr 27, 2017 | Truck Accidents

Understandably, Louisiana drivers must be aware of the dangers of large trucks on the road. These vehicles are frequently moving at high speed and travel long distances. Sometimes, a truck company has drivers who flout the laws and rules of operation. When there is a truck accident, their sheer size leads to significant injuries and fatalities. Law enforcement and legislators are constantly trying to find ways to reduce the danger of a trucking accident. One lawmaker is pushing a change to the law that would require vehicles above a certain size to reduce their speed by 10 mph when on the interstate.

The vehicles that are part of this proposed law are trucks, trailers, semi-trailers and school buses. The goal is to make the roads safer. The statistics for a truck accident do not make clear that this strategy will be an overall solution to the dangers of trucks on the road. The lawmaker who proposed the law is researching the link between speed and truck accidents.

Large trucks and vehicles that would be subject to this law were in more than 2 percent of all crashes in 2016, with 7,408 out of 332,483. This data accrued by Louisiana State University. Five percent of deaths and 2 percent of injuries came in these accidents.

However, a study showed that a stretch of Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana experienced a reduction in large vehicle accidents when their speed limits were reduced. Between 2004 and 2006, there were 19, whereas in 2000 to 2003, there were 81. This while the total number of accidents did not change greatly.

The reality that this is under consideration makes clear that there is still concern and danger of a trucking accident. People who are involved in an accident with a truck while driving a conventionally sized vehicle are at risk of major injuries, long hospital stays, lost time at work and long-term damage, if not death.

Seeking compensation through a legal filing is often the only way to cover all the expenses that arise as a result. Whether the accident happened because of speed, recklessness, unsafe lane changes, DUI or fatigue, it is imperative to have legal help to investigate the case and take the necessary steps to file a case.

Source: nola.com, “Should big trucks, buses drive slower on highways? Bill would lower speed limits,” Beau Evans, April 11, 2017