Versus Law Blog

<p>Trucking safety laws aim to prevent <a href=”http://www.farrowpulicelaw.com/truck-accidents/”>truck collisions in Southwestern Florida</a>&nbsp;from occurring. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)&nbsp;passes Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) aimed at reducing the chances of dangerous behaviors which cause truck accidents. &nbsp;States can also pass their own trucking safety laws to impose stricter rules than federal laws, if they wish to do so.</p>
<p>At least states have this authority to do this right now. <a href=”http://www.richmond.com/business/ap/article_2cc5f928-0f20-56fb-a6b9-530df123a89f.html” target=”_blank”>Richmond Times Dispatch</a>&nbsp;indicates states may soon no longer be able to impose additional rules related to&nbsp;trucker meal breaks or to trucker rest breaks which go beyond the rules which exist on the federal level. This is because a provision has quietly found its way into a federal aviation bill which would pre-empt state law and prevent states from giving more protections to truckers when it comes to&nbsp;guaranteed breaks. &nbsp;This provision is one of several recent efforts by federal lawmakers which appear to have the effect of undermining trucking safety.</p>
<p style=”margin-right: -270px;”><strong>Federal Laws Increasing the Risk of Truck Accidents</strong></p>
<p style=”margin-right: -270px;”>In December of 2014, the&nbsp;<em>Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act</em> passed and was signed into law. This Act was essentially a&nbsp;<em>must pass</em> act to keep the government funded and operational. Because it was must-pass legislation, lawmakers were able to put&nbsp;provisions into it which they wanted to get passed quietly, which might not have passed if the individual provision had come up separately for a vote. One of the clauses included suspended a requirement which had been issued by FMCSA. The requirement had mandated a 34-hour rest break, with two periods spanning the hours between 1 AM and 5 AM. This break would be required after a trucker had driven 60 hours over seven days or 70 hours over eight days.</p>

<a href=”http://www.farrowpulicelaw.com/posts/federal-government-could-increase-sarasota-truck-accident-risks/”>Read more…</a>

<pre><address>Farrow & Pulice Attorneys at Law
Venice Office
1872 S Tamiami Trail Suite D
Venice, FL 34293
(941) 234-9588</address></pre>

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<p>In 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put forth a&nbsp;<a href=”http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2015/nhtsa-notice-underride-protection-12072015″ target=”_blank”>Notice of Proposed Rule Making</a>. NHTSA announced it wants to change the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to impose stricter rules for rear underride guards. &nbsp;NHTSA’s proposal came after more than a decade of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recommending a tougher rule to help prevent deadly truck accidents. &nbsp;Underride accidents happen when cars slide under the back or the side of a tractor trailer. <a href=”http://www.davislawfirm.com/truck-accidents/injuries”>Serious injuries</a> and fatalities are common in these crashes.</p>
<p>While it is good news that NHTSA may soon be imposing stricter underride standards, this action has come too late to save many lives. It is one more example of how safety regulators often take far too long to act, increasing the risk of truck crashes and other types of accidents on the road.&nbsp;<a href=”https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/traffic-deaths-up-nearly-10-driver-behavior-blamed-020816.html” target=”_blank”>Consumer Affairs</a>&nbsp;recently reported on how safety organizations, including an organization called&nbsp;<em>AnnaLeaha and Mary for Truck Safety, </em>believe regulators are falling short.</p>
<p><strong>Federal Lawmakers Should Impose Stricter Safety Regulations&nbsp;to Prevent Truck Crashes &amp; Other Collisions</strong></p>
<p><em>AnnaLeaha and Mary for Truck Safety&nbsp;</em>is named after two sisters who were killed in an accident with a semi-trailer. The parents of the girls believe&nbsp;an absence of sufficient federal regulations were a direct contributing factor to their children’s death. The girls died in an underride accident with a truck driver who was believed to have been on the road too long. If stricter underride standards had been in place at the time of the incident, the deadly accident may never have happened.</p>

<a href=”http://www.davislawfirm.com/posts/preventing-roanoke-truck-accidents”>Read more…</a>

<pre><address>Davis, Davis, Davis & Davis, PC
35 E Court St
Rocky Mt, VA 24151
Phone: (866) 434-1581
Local: (540) 483-5221
Fax: (540) 483-8234</address></pre>

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