South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog

According to the director of the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Col. David Brierton, the FHP will be participating in this year's Operation Safe Driver. This annual campaign will be taking place this year from October 16th through the 22nd. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that the event is nationally organized and is being put by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. During this time, law enforcement will be targeting drivers of commercial and passenger vehicles to ensure that the vehicles and the drivers are meeting federal safety standards.

Nearly 90 percent of fatal trucking accidents in West Palm Beach and elsewhere that involve a commercial truck are caused by driver error. During this safe driving campaign, troopers from the FHP will be out combing our roadways in search of dangerous drivers. They'll be targeting these drivers by performing driver safety inspections on commercial trucks and targeting dangerous driving habits on Florida roadways.

Our Broward County car accident attorneys understand how dangerous traffic accidents with large vehicles can be. During Operation Safe Driver, members of the FHP will be cracking down on these drivers and will be taking aggressive enforcement action against drivers of commercial trucks, passenger buses and passenger vehicles. Raising awareness of the dangers that these vehicles present has been proven effective in increase roadway safety.

“Activities such as Operation Safe Driver have had a noticeable effect,” said Brierton.

Traffic accidents with large trucks and with commercial vehicles can oftentimes end fatally. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were nearly 3,500 people killed in U.S. roadways in 2009 because of accidents involving these large vehicles. Another 74,000 people were injured in these types of accidents. According to state statistics, there were more than 295,500 large trucks involved in traffic accidents throughout the year.

Of the people who were killed in these types of accidents in 2009:

-More than 75 percent of fatalities occurred to the occupants of the other vehicles.

-Roughly 15 percent occurred to those who were occupants in the truck.

-Approximately 10 percent occurred to those who were nonoccupants.

It's quite clear that occupants of passenger vehicles are more vulnerable than any other party involved in a car accident with a large truck. The size, weight and force carried by these large vehicles make them deadly. With the proper knowledge and safe driving habits, we can all do our part to help reduce these risks. Remember to be cautious around these large vehicles, stay out of their blind spots and to allow them plenty of room on our roadways. There's no reason to travel too closely and to flirt with danger. Be alert, be cautious and be aware.

Continue reading "FHP Uses Operation Safe Driver Campaign to Help Reduce Bus and Truck Accidents in Tamarac and Elsewhere" »

The horror of seeing a tractor trailer stop suddenly in front of you while driving strikes fear in us all. Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys know the catastrophic and often fatal injuries caused when passenger vehicles are involved in a Florida trucking accident.

Underride guards are not protecting occupants in vehicles that rear end tractor-trailers, according to a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Often severe injuries, including death from decapitation, happen when the underride guard isn't strong enough to withstand the impact from the vehicle.

An underride guard is the less than sturdy pieces of metal that you see hanging under the back of a tractor trailer. The purpose of the guard is to stop a vehicle from riding under the trailer.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported in 2008, that more than 4,000 large trucks were involved in deadly crashes. More than 4,200 people perished in those crashes and an additional 90,000 sustained injuries.

In Florida, of the 4,227 vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2008, 269 were large trucks. When crashes involve two vehicles, large trucks are hit in the rear 3 times more than any other vehicle. Large trucks fatally colliding into other vehicles result in deaths in the other vehicle 74 percent of the time.

The IIHS evaluated 1,000 real crashes that occurred between 2001 through 2003. Of the 1,000 crashes, there were 115 involving a vehicle rear ending a tractor trailer. Of those 115 crashes, death to the occupant occurred 28 times. Catastrophic underride happened in 23 of the 28 cases where an occupant was killed. Underride did not happen in 25 cases.

Conducting its own testing the IIHS used three trailer guards that met current U.S. compliance standards. Two of the three trailers also met the stricter standards of Canada. The current Canadian standards far exceed the U.S. standards regarding strength and energy absorption.

Only one guard passed the crash test that involved a vehicle going 35 mph and hitting the guard dead center. The passing guard, which was one that met Canadian standards, kept the vehicle from going under the truck. None of the guards prevented underride when the vehicle hit the guard off center.

"Under current certification standards, the trailer, underride guard, bolts, and welding don't have to be tested as a whole system. That's a big part of the problem. Some manufacturers do test guards on the trailer. We think all guards should be evaluated this way. Underride standards haven't kept pace with improvements in passenger vehicle crashworthiness. Absent regulation, there's little incentive for manufacturers to improve underride countermeasures, so we hope NHTSA will move quickly on our petition," says Adrian Lund, Institute president.

Continue reading "Rear-end accidents involving tractor-trailers a deadly cause of car accidents in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale " »

Large trucks are less maneuverable, have large blind spots, take longer to stop and they accelerate more slowly than other vehicles. Extra caution needs to be taken when driving around them to avoid a West Palm Beach trucking accident.

The Sun Sentinel reported a multi-vehicle crash on I-95 last Friday morning trapping a state trooper inside his patrol car.

The trooper was parked on the median conducting a crash investigation when his car was hit from behind. A dump truck had sideswiped a car that sent it into the trooper's car. The trooper was trapped in his vehicle for almost 30 minutes and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The dump truck driver was found later and was charged with leaving the scene of the accident and property damage. The crash caused an estimated $30,000 in damages.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2008 that Florida had 4,227 vehicles involved in fatal crashes, 269 were large trucks. Nationally 380,000 large trucks were involved in accidents, causing 90,000 injuries and 4,229 deaths.

Progressive Insurance offers these safety tips when driving near large trucks:

-Large trucks have blind spots and the drivers have limited visibility behind the truck and along side it. Make sure the driver can see you; if you can see the driver or their mirrors then you are visible to the driver.

-If you are passing a truck or changing lanes, leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the truck once you are in front of it. A good rule to remember is to see the entire cab of the truck in your rear view mirror before getting into their lane.

-Pay attention to the truck driver's turn signal. Large trucks usually need to make wide right turns. So it is not a good idea to try to pass a truck if their right turn signal is on.

-When trucks have light loads or on windy days their trailers can sway into your lane. Try not to drive for any length of time next to a large truck. Trucks can have tire blowouts sending treads all over the road. This added danger makes it important to keep a safe distance from the truck in case this happens to avoid the flying debris.

-Never get aggressive with a large truck. Braking suddenly or cutting a truck off is extremely dangerous. If a truck is being aggressive towards you, either get off at the next exit or slow down and let them pass by.

-The best way to remain safe driving next to large trucks on Florida roadways and interstates is to maintain patience and use extra caution.

Continue reading "Use care to avoid trucking accidents in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach" »

A new law is putting some of the heaviest tractor-trailers in the nation on Florida highways, a move the is certain to increase the risk of serious and fatal semi accidents in Fort Lauderdale and throughout South Florida.

The law, which was signed by Gov. Crist and went into effect on July 1, permits semis to add an additional 8,000 pounds of weight to the 80,000 pounds they are already permitted to carry by law. Trucks pose a serious safety risk to motorists precisely because they already weigh about 20 times more than the average passenger car and require three times longer to stop in the event of an emergency. Florida's 70 mph speed limit is already among the nation's fastest for large commercial vehicles. When it comes to weight, only four other states permit heavier trucks on the road.

In 2008, a total of 269 fatal Florida trucking accidents were reported. Only California and Texas have worse safety records.

A Fort Lauderdale injury lawyer should always be called to assist a motorist dealing with a serious or fatal accident involving a semi or large commercial vehicle in South Florida. Such cases are frequently complicated by the seriousness of the injuries, in-state and out-of-state trucking and insurance companies and state and federal trucking regulations.

Safety advocates, including Road Safe America and the Florida Safety Council, had lobbied hard against the measure. However, big business once again got its way, with the trucking lobby winning out over the safety of voters and motorists.

"The dangers of increasing tractor-trailer truck weights are well known - they are harder to stop, steer and more vulnerable to roll over during a crash," said Tom Guilmet, the Executive Director of the Florida Safety Council. "But, by far, the most compelling objection to heavier trucks is the fact that they will cause more deaths and injuries on our highways."

Continue reading "Heavier trucks mean greater risk of Fort Lauderdale trucking accidents" »