Commercial vehicles can be truly enormous and can do a great deal of damage when they collide with smaller passenger vehicles on the road. If there’s one part of an 18-wheeler that other drivers and the drivers of the trucks themselves need to be able to trust to work, it’s the brakes. While carrier companies and their drivers are called on by federal regulation to check the brakes of commercial vehicles on a very regular basis, either the checks don’t happen, or the repairs indicated don’t happen, resulting in dangerously unsafe trucks on the road. One safety nonprofit now takes steps to ensure that large trucks and other commercial vehicles are not a danger on the road.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is a nonprofit consisting of representatives from numerous law enforcement and federal regulatory agencies, focusing on enforcement of commercial vehicle regulations. Each year, the CVSA teams up with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to carry out Brake Safety Week, which is being held this year from September 11-17, 2016. During this week, law enforcement officials will conduct safety checks of thousands of commercial vehicles such as buses, semi-trucks, and tractor-trailers to ensure that all critical components of their braking systems are working properly. According to the CVSA, “[commercial motor vehicle] brakes are designed to hold up under tough conditions, but they must be routinely inspected and maintained carefully and consistently so they operate and perform properly throughout the vehicle’s life. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency and increase the stopping distance of trucks and buses, posing serious risks to driver and public safety.”
Where components such as drums, pads, or hydraulic fluids appear not to be working properly, law enforcement will ensure that the trucks are taken out of service until they can be repaired. During the Brake Safety Week held in 2015, more than 18,800 commercial vehicles were subjected to a thorough safety inspection. A troubling 12% of those vehicles—over 2,300—were taken off the road when inspectors discovered their brakes were in disrepair.
If you have been hurt in a truck accident in South Carolina, get help seeking the compensation you deserve for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering by contacting the compassionate, skilled, and trial-ready Spartanburg personal injury lawyers at Anderson, Moore, Bailey & Nowell for a consultation, at 864-641-6431.