The Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) is a national network of volunteers dedicated to helping truck accident victims and their families. On May 17, 2022, they published a press release about a deadly trend in the U.S. – fatalities caused by large trucks.
In the release, the TSC references figures published by the official National Highway and Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) last month. The most concerning figure? Well, there’s not just one. Take a look at some of the numbers:
- 5,610 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year. That’s about the population size of Richmond, Missouri.
- The figure above represents a 52% increase in truck crash fatalities since 2010.
- It’s also the largest annual percentage increase in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
The TSC states that although passenger vehicles are safer than ever, their occupants make up 97% of fatalities in large truck crashes. Exasperated, the TSC Board President Dawn King asked, “What more is needed to take safety seriously? We need to do everything possible to reverse this terrifying trend because lives hang in the balance.”
But the TSC report isn’t just about open-ended questions. In the report, the Coalition proposes several steps to address the problem:
- Require Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on all commercial motor vehicles (CMVs)
- Require side and underride guards on all CMVs
- Complete proposed legislation requiring the use of speed limiters in all CMVs
- Require DOT to raise the commercial motor carrier minimum insurance to $5,000,000 as outlined in H. R. 2687
Langdon & Emison condones these proposed changes to the trucking industry. We work hard to help truck accident victims and their families recover from devastating accidents.
If you were injured in a truck collision, reach out to Langdon & Emison now. Call (866) 931-2115 to schedule your free consultation.