Personal Injury Law

Atlanta Trucking Accidents Decreased by Simple Safety Regulations

Here in Atlanta and throughout the country a simple safety regulation has saved many lives with respect to dangers posed by trucks on our interstate highways. The safety regulation we refer to here is the conspicuity tape that one sees on tractor-trailers operating on our highways, specifically the red and white stripes across the bottom of trailers. This tape has saved many lives because it is illuminated by both low and high beams on vehicles as they approach tractor-trailers that might be straddling the road while attempting to back into a particular location.

For years and years there were many deaths and serious injuries caused by under-rides when vehicles would come over a hill or around a curve only to be confronted by a tractor-trailer that was backing in to a particular location. Given the delay caused by the human brain when perceiving and reacting to a situation which is unexpected, experience indicated that it was not unusual for people to have great difficulty in avoiding these under-ride situations. Thus, the simple safety measure of requiring conspicuity tape (the red and white stripe tape at the bottom of trailers) came into being. This conspicuity tape is very visible and alerts the brain of the driver very quickly to potential danger. Thus, the under-ride is avoided whereas previously without this conspicuity tape many people were being seriously injured and/or killed.

This simple safety regulation works. It does not cost a lot of money and it saves lives. Other safety regulations work as well when they are enforced. The good thing about the tape is that it is easily enforced. Other safety regulations are more difficult to enforce such as proper driver hours, proper safety training, proper employment screening of qualified drivers, etc. Without proper enforcement of safety regulations, however, the entire public is in danger.

Far too often, we have seen situations where an adherence to simple safety regulations would have saved lives and/or avoided serious injuries. Our innocent clients are the ones who suffer from the lack of enforcement. Now that the Bush administration is leaving office, we can only hope that the new administration will concentrate more on enforcement as a method of insuring compliance with simple safety regulations that save lives.

The Georgia trucking accident lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP are privileged to represent those who have become innocent victims of a failure to adhere to required state and federal safety regulations. When innocent victims are injured by trucking companies which are negligent in their duties to the public we have no problem in representing the innocent victim of the breach of such a duty. Indeed, we are committed to making sure that our clients receive full restitution for any damages inflicted upon them because of the negligent failure of a trucking company to fulfill its legal obligations when it comes to compliance with safety. Should you have any questions concerning these matters, please call our toll free number 1-800-228-9159.

Full post as published by Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog on January 22, 2009 (boomark / email).