Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog

Healthcare professionals are going to have to be better trained, tested and certified when it comes to examining truckers nationwide. The improvement was recently announced through a new rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to help to reduce the risks of accidents in Fellsmere and elsewhere.

These healthcare professionals examine truckers to make sure that their health and their physical qualifications are up to par and they're safe on our roadways. In addition, the new rule is pushing a new online database of medical examiners who have completed the certification process. We need to keep a closer eye on our truck drivers nationwide to help make our roadways safer for all. Better and healthier truck drivers can do just that and we need better trained medical examiners to help us get there.

Our Broward accident lawyers understand that truckers are required to undergo this examination once every two years in order to keep their commercial driver's license and to operate a commercial vehicle. Reexamination of these drivers is critical in making sure they're equipped to handle these large vehicles and stay out of potentially fatal accidents. It is important that these drivers are healthy and are not suffering from any debilitating medical conditions. Just in 2009, trucking accidents took the lives of more than 3,100 people across the U.S. Keeping a closer eye on these drivers can help us to reduce this number.

“This new rule will ensure that healthcare professionals conducting exams keep in mind all of the demands required to operate large trucks and passenger buses safely," said USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

The new database, called the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, is a tool from the FMCSA that is being used to help assist its commitment to holding medical examiners accountable when examining our truckers. Part of the safety of our roadways lies in their hands. Being more in tune with the kinds of health conditions that trucks are subjected to will help to reduce the risks of injuries and fatalities resulting from trucking accidents. The nationwide database is used as a supplement to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) new recommendations regarding training for these examiners as well as keeping better track of driver medical certificates and examinations.

Within the next month, the FMCSA will be posting uniform testing and training standards on its website for medical examiners. When these new standards are posted then individuals will be able to look them over and even sign up for updates on the new rule.

In two years, all those who are certified in these examinations will be required to be listed on the National Registry database. Those who don't keep up with their certifications and training will be taken off of the registry.

Continue reading "New Rule to Help Reduce Risks of Trucking Accidents in Fellsmere and Elsewhere" »

Drivers beware! Cutting off a truck could cost you your life. If you live through the dangerous maneuver then it could cost you a fine. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), officers will be on the lookout for dangerous and aggressive drivers through their second phase of Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks.

The goal of this campaign is to help to reduce the risks of car accidents in Riviera Beach and elsewhere.

"The campaign aims to reduce commercial motor vehicle-related crashes, injuries and fatalities by combining outreach and education with targeted enforcement activities," said Col. David Brierton of the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).

Our Riviera Beach car accident lawyers understand that the FHP is taking this campaign very seriously and is looking for dangerous drivers in an attempt to make our roadways a little safer for everyone. The FHP is teaming up with the Florida Trucking Association for the week-long campaign taking place from March 30th through April 4th. During this time, troopers will be looking for both car and truck drivers who are driving aggressively, including speeding, unsafe lane changes and tailgating.

To help spread the word about the campaign and to spread the message about the importance of safe driving habits, the awareness efforts will be using radio messages and billboards throughout the state. Car and truck drivers are asked to navigate safely around one another to reduce the risks of not only a traffic ticket, but for an accident as well.

Mary Lou Rajchel, the CEO and President of the Florida Trucking Association, says that we need efforts from both car and truck drivers to help make our state's roadways safe for all. She says that safety is a top priority of the trucking industry and it will continue working at making our roadways as safe as possible. Truckers and trucking companies are pleased to push the 'No Zone' message about helping to keep passenger-vehicle drivers out of the blind spots of large trucks. She's happy to couple the "big trucks equal big blind spots' and the 'see what drivers see' messages to help promote safe driving habits for everyone.

In 2008, more than 10 percent of fatal traffic accidents reported the involvement of a large truck. For this purpose, large trucks are defined as vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds. In these accidents, nearly 85 percent of people who were killed were in passenger vehicles while only about 15 percent of those who died were the occupants of a large truck.

Speeding is one of the most common factors in these accidents, prevalent in more than 30 percent of fatal accidents. In 2008, there were nearly 12,000 people killed in speeding-related accidents.

Speeding is a form of aggressive driving. Drivers are asked to not only be careful during the Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks enforcement campaign, but during every other day out of the year, too. Responsible and safe driving habits can save lives.

Continue reading "Car Accidents in Riviera Beach and Elsewhere Targeted by FHP Safety Campaign " »

Teens met at the nation's capital recently to discuss safe driving habits during the summer and the dangers of driving among large trucks, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Those teens now understand that when they hit the road this summer, so do a number of large trucks, increasing the risks of a deadly car accident in Palm Beach and elsewhere.

During the meeting in Washington D.C., teens pledged to make this summer a little safer for all motorists. Large trucks pose a number of threats to teen drivers as they have extremely large blind spots and provide more fatal risks when involved in an accident with a motor vehicle. The teen drivers pledged to put down their cell phone while driving and to practice extra caution around these big rigs.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys understand that our teen drivers face a higher risk for a motor-vehicle accident than those in any other age group. Lack of driving experience is one of the main contributors, followed by distracted driving and drunk driving. Parents are urged to join the awareness campaign and to discuss the dangers of irresponsible driving habits with their young driver.

"Prom, graduation, and summer are fantastic times for youth to celebrate and enjoy. However, with these fun times come unfortunate tragedies,” said Sandy Spavone, president of the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS). “Through education, enforcement, and legislation lives can be saved and injuries prevented."

Officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Organizations for Youth Safety and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance attended this gathering and spoke to students in the area about the importance of driving safely around large trucks. They warned these drivers that a fully loaded tractor trailer needs about twice the distance to stop that a passenger vehicle needs. They also talked to students about large blind spots and urged drivers to keep out of these "No Zones."

“We want everyone to be safe, but as newer drivers, teens must adhere to a few simple rules,” said Anne Ferro, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “They are: buckle up, don’t drink and drive; don’t speed, don’t text or use your phone, and steer clear of a truck’s blind spots.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the deadliest days of the year for teens are from May to August. During these four summer months, it is estimated that nearly twice as many teens die on our roadways every day as compared with the rest of the year. This equals an average of roughly 16 deaths per day. The rest of the year averages about nine deaths each day.

Motorists ages 16 to 24 have the highest traffic accident death rate in the United States. From 2005 to 2009, about 4,000 individuals of this age group were killed in motor-vehicle accidents involving large trucks.

“Do not expect that having a driver's license is a right that comes without responsibility or risk,” said Steve Keppler, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. “Be accountable for your actions, spread the word to your friends and parents, and help create a culture of safety. Most importantly, take the driving task seriously. You never know the impact you can have that ultimately could save your life or someone else's."

In 2009, Florida had nearly 400 deaths as a result of motor-vehicle accidents involving a teen driver. With awareness, education and experience, we can help keep our teens safe on our roadways this summer and throughout the year.

Continue reading "Advocates Warn Teens of Large Truck Accidents in West Palm and Elsewhere" »

These are just a few of the many accidents in Florida reported the past few weeks involving tractor trailers in Miami and elsewhere:

-The Miami Herald recently reported that a woman stepping out of her vehicle on Interstate 75 was hit by a tractor trailer. She was flown to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

-WSVN News reported a tractor trailer rollover on an Interstate 95 exit ramp.

-WSVN News also reported another incident on an Interstate 95 exit ramp involving a jack-knifed tractor trailer. The trucker reportedly applied too much pressure on the brakes, causing the truck to jack-knife.

Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers know the havoc that tractor trailers create on our highways. So we are following closely a bill proposing to raise truck weights. Safety advocates not only want the weight to remain the same but are pushing to lower truckers' driving hours.

Two bills are going head to head in Congress – SETA vs. SHIPA.

SETA - Safe and Efficient Transportation Act is a bill that wants to give states the option to raise the maximum weight for a truck from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds. The added weight would require adding a 6th axle to trucks wanting the extra weight. Groups for this bill, such as the Coalition for Transportation Productivity say that adding the extra weight is not a concern because the 6th axle would preserve braking capacity and weight distribution, as well as limit road wear. The group also feels adding the 6th axle would increase fees to users, and those added fees could go toward bridge repairs. Because trucks will be able to carry more cargo, they feel fewer trucks would be on the roadways, making the roads safer.

SHIPA - Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act is the bill that wants the maximum truck weight to stay at 80,000 pounds. Safety advocates and the Teamsters are concerned that our roads and bridges can't handle the extra weight. Their bigger concern is the ability for these maxed-out trucks to stop in a timely manner. An 80,000-pound truck going 55 mph takes 400 feet to stop when road conditions are dry. That is almost the length of 1½ football fields.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a two-day forum in Washington D.C. earlier this month focusing on bus and truck safety. Driver fatigue was a topic up for discussion with a solution of permitting truckers to drive a maximum of 10 hours a day. Currently they can drive 11 hours in a 14 hour work day.

Continue reading "Heavy loads likely to cause a higher risk of trucking accidents in Miami" »

Two major trucking accidents forced road closures on the Florida Turnpike this past week. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue was called out to the scene of a Palm Beach truck accident at roughly 5 a.m., according to NBC 5. The Highway Patrol had to reroute traffic to avoid Mile Marker 111 near the crash scene.

Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers know that big rigs can pose threats to all motorists on the road.

According to CBS 12, the drivers of the 2 vehicles, ages 21 and 61, were traveling on the turnpike when the semi and the dump truck collided. Both trucks burst into flame and were reportedly completely destroyed. One driver remains in critical condition. The other was reportedly still in serious condition.

In 2008, the National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that an estimated 4,200 lives were lost in accidents with large trucks and an additional 90,000 motorists were seriously injured.

Charges could be pending in the Florida Turnpike collision. Authorities are still investigating the accident.

A second accident shut down the Florida turnpike again. The accident involved three tractor trailers and one passenger vehicle, according to the Sun Sentinel.

In this collision, a UPS delivery truck suffered a broken fuel tank, a Honda Civic went flying into oncoming traffic and a third truck jackknifed. One driver had to be extricated and another taken to the St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. There has been no release of information on the third driver, according to the Miami Herald.

Continue reading "Multiple West Palm Beach Truck Accidents Shut Down Florida Turnpike" »

Commercial motor carrier companies are currently able to electronically access driving, inspection, and crash records of potential hires, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The only flaw with this system is that all driving records may not be available to potential employers. Drivers are easily able to alter, even erase, records before applying for a position with another carrier.

Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers know that motorists are at increased risk for an accident because of these irresponsible drivers if action is not being taken to keep the flawed records out in the open and readily available for potential employers.

The FMCSA currently allows trucking employers to access up to three years of the driver's safety violation data and up to five years of crash information for any driver in their pre-employment screening program. Road Safe and the American Trucking Association believe this system is flawed as it does not allow access to positive drug and alcohol tests. These hidden records can cause an increased risk for a potentially fatal West Palm Beach car accident.

The two organizations are teaming up in a push for a central clearinghouse to keep track of commercial vehicle drivers who've previously tested positive for drug and alcohol use. The bill, The Safe Roads Act, S. 1113, was initially introduced by Senators Pryor, Snowe, Nelson and Wicker back in May of 2009, reports Road Safe.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that, in 2009, there were more than 3,000 fatalities and approximately 701,000 people injured in accidents involving these large trucks. An estimated 296,000 large trucks were involved in these crashes in 2009. Nearly 3,500 vehicles were involved in fatal accidents with a large truck in Florida alone.

Continue reading "Lack of Drug Testing Data Increases Risk of Fort Lauderdale Trucking Accidents" »