19 year olds Driving Longer Tractor Trailers Closer to Reality

            Everyday drivers have to worry about the normal dangers on the road: distracted drivers, speeders, tailgaters, drunk drivers, and sleepy truck drivers.  But in the near future, drivers might have to worry about teenage drivers behind the wheel of tractor trailers on interstate highways.

            

            The trucking industry has been lobbying on Capitol Hill to get legislation passed that would allow longer trucks (33 feet long instead of 28 feet) and lower the minimum age of commercial truck drivers who drive across state lines to between 19 and a half and  21 years of age.  And, just this past Thursday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously passed this bill.  We will have to see if the Senate passes this as well.

Tractor trailers and other large trucks are already dangerous on the road with current rules and regulations in place.  Current problems with truck drivers include falling asleep behind the wheel, speeding, distracted driving, and drunk driving.  Research has shown that on average, large trucks are involved in about 10 fatal crashes everyday nationwide.  The number of fatal truck accidents has steadily increased each of the last 6 years.  In these horrific accidents, it is not usually the truck driver who dies, but instead the occupant/s in the smaller vehicle. 

Lowering the minimum driving age for commercial truck driving across state lines would certainly lead to a substantial increase in deadly accidents on highways across the country.  Drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 are involved in twice as many fatal car accidents than drivers 21 and over.  The risks involved with driving a car do not even compare to the risks and difficulty level of driving an 18-wheeler tractor trailer.  Maryland state law already allows 18 year old drivers to obtain commercial drivers’ licenses, however, they are only permitted to drive commercial vehicles within the state.  Their commercial driver’s license does not permit them to drive commercial vehicles across state lines due to a federal ban.  Numerous studies have proven year after year that young drivers under the age of 21 are more likely to speed and engage in risky driving behavior, such as driving when tired.

If you or a family member have been injured or killed in a truck accident and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Frederick or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Truck-Accidents/

Deadly Carroll County Head On Collision

           Yesterday morning, a pick-up truck crashed head on into a dump truck after crossing over the double yellow lines on Route 27 near Mount Airy.  A Taneytown woman was driving the pick-up truck with a young child in the vehicle with her.  Police believe both passengers were wearing their seatbelts.  The young child did not survive the crash and the driver was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious injuries.  The dump truck driver only suffered minor injuries. 

            

           While police are still investigating the accident, they do believe that the pick-up truck driver attempted to pass a vehicle in front of her by crossing over double yellow lines into oncoming traffic.  The pick-up truck collided with the dump truck in a high-impact head on collision.  Attempting to pass another vehicle when there are double yellow lines is an example of aggressive driving behavior.  This week, Maryland State Police are patrolling roadways specifically targeting aggressive drivers.  Aggressive driving behavior oftentimes leads to serious injuries and even death, as evidenced in this tragic accident.  This could have been avoided if the pick-up truck driver had not tried to illegally pass the vehicle in front of her.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed in an accident that is caused by the fault or negligence of another person and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact us at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Frederick or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Truck-Accidents/

Overturned Tractor Trailer in Baltimore County Catches Fire, Injures Driver

            Last night, a tractor trailer overturned on northbound Interstate 83 in the Parkton area of Baltimore County.  The large truck started to leak gasoline onto the roadway and caught fire.  The driver of the truck suffered serious injuries in the wreck and was taken to Shock Trauma.  Doctors do not believe his injuries to be life threatening.  As a result of crash, I-83 north was closed for several hours while crews removed the tractor trailer and cleaned up the fuel.

            

            As we often blog about, accidents involving tractor trailers are some of the worst and most serious accidents on the road.  The large size of tractor trailer trucks and the amount of power that they have contribute to the severity of injuries when they are involved in accidents.  Semi-trucks and tractor trailers can cause extensive property damage, catastrophic injuries, and death when not properly maintained or driven by negligent drivers.  The most common cause of truck accidents is driver fatigue.  Oftentimes, truck drivers are forced to drive long shifts to meet a deadline and will not take a break to rest because they want to get to the destination on time.  Another common cause for truck accidents is the size of the truck making it next to impossible for the driver to be able to see cars in its blind spot.

            

            Injuries resulting from truck accidents can be devastating.  However, many times injured victims are unable to recover enough money to cover the damages.  It is obvious to look to the negligence of the truck driver and motor carrier as the cause of the accident, but the shipper of the load cannot be forgotten as another possible liable party.  One way to impose liability against a shipper is for negligent selection, which means that an employer can be subject to liability for its failure to exercise reasonable care in selecting a competent and careful contractor.  Motor carriers of nonhazardous materials are required to carry only $750,000 in single limit coverage, however, many times injuries sustained in a truck accident far exceed that amount.  Therefore, it is important to seek recovery from all who are involved including the truck driver, the motor carrier, and the shipper of the load.  Keep in mind though, that the shipper will not always be liable in a truck accident, but should always be considered.

If you or a family member have been injured or killed in a truck accident and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Baltimore or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Truck-Accidents/

Catching Zzzzzzs Behind the Wheel, an Overlooked Phenomenon in Maryland

           While drunk driving and distracted driving get all the attention, drowsy driving is also becoming a major issue and could even be more dangerous.  According to research conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, more than one in five fatal crashes involve driver fatigue.  Drivers are educated on the effects of drunk driving and texting while driving, but rarely ever is drowsy driving discussed.  One reason for this could be because it is difficult to prove that an accident occurred because the driver fell asleep.  There is no blood alcohol to test, no field sobriety tests to conduct, and no phone records to check.

            The biggest problem with drowsy driving is that if a driver is tired, they will often power through it, thinking they will be able to stay awake.  Driving while fatigued is very dangerous and significantly impacts driving performance.  Research shows “on average you have to be out for two to four minutes to realize you were just asleep, whereas it only takes two or three seconds for something catastrophic to happen if you are asleep at the wheel.”  The AAA study found that even people who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a crash compared to those who sleep eight or more hours.  The real danger zone is when a driver gets less than five hours of sleep.  Officials at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine note that driving performance begins to decline beyond 16 hours awake.  “When you get to 20 hours without sleep, you are performing as would somebody with a blood-alcohol limit [of 0.08 percent, the legal limit for driving under the influence in Maryland].”

            The age group most at risk for drowsy driving is those between 16-25 years old.  Teenagers are often sleep deprived because they are forced to balance school work, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs.  Some research shows that half of all drowsy driving related crashes involve a teenager.

            Commercial drivers, such as tractor trailer drivers, are another at-risk group for fatigued driving due to long hours and very little time to rest.  Sleep deprivation is a leading cause of truck accidents, and sometimes, it is not only the fault of the driver, but also the truck company for forcing their drivers to work long hours without any break.

            Some states have passed fatigued-driving laws and some car manufacturers (BMW and Mercedes Benz) have started including technology in vehicles that detects a drowsy driver and tells them to stop and take a break.  “[Drowsy driving] is an issue that deserves the same level of attention…as alcohol, speeding and seat-belt use,” says Brian Tefft of the AAA Foundation.

            For more information on drowsy driving, check out the University of Maryland Medical Center’s website: http://umm.edu/programs/sleep/patients/drowsy-driving.  Interested parties can also visit www.drowsydriving.org for more information.

            If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another driver, including truck drivers who have fallen asleep behind the wheel, please call us today at (301) 854-9000 to set up an appointment at one of our office locations located throughout Maryland for a free case evaluation or visit us online: http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Truck-Accidents/