Recently, the American Transportation Research Institute and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released the most comprehensive study to-date on electronic speed limiters and their effect on the rate of commercial truck accidents. Their findings were conclusive: installing speed limiters on tractor-trailers resulted in a 50-percent drop in truck accident rates and prevented a significant number of serious injuries and deaths.
Now that we have this information, what will happen next?
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are now convinced that speed limiters can help prevent truck accidents and that installing the electronic devices would not be as costly as previously believed.
- Opponents of electronic speed limiters now have new information disproving that the devices may cause as many accidents as they prevent. The study found that the benefits of the devices far outweighed the potential downsides.
- The American Trucking Association has called for federal agencies to work quickly to ensure that new regulations will be in place to require the speed limiters on as many commercial trucks as possible.
- The FMSCA also is considering more research on how many car accidents could be prevented if the speed limit on America’s interstates and highways was limited to 65 miles-per-hour.
While many people are concerned with drunk truckers, reckless truckers, and fatigued truckers, it is important to understand that a large number of trucking accidents simply are caused by truckers who are speeding or truckers who are traveling too fast for the conditions.
If you have been seriously injured in a Virginia truck accident, it is vital that you understand what caused your accident and who was at fault. To learn more about your crash and your legal options, contact a Virginia personal injury attorney at Shapiro & Appleton today. Call our office today at 757-460-7776 locally or (833) 997-1774 toll-free.
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