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Speeding truckers put others at risk, but safety tech may help

Pennsylvania residents may not know this, but the number of truck accidents is on the rise. Florida saw an especially steep incline from 23,515 in 2014 to 32,513 in 2018, and the Florida DoT has identified speeding as the number one driver-related factor in these crashes.

Speeding truckers are hurting others more than themselves: The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says that 72% of all fatalities in truck collisions are occupants of the other vehicle. In their effort to improve safety, many trucking companies are now looking to recent technological advances.

Maverick Transportation is one company that has seen positive results from vehicle safety tech. It has installed lane departure warning, collision mitigation systems, forward-facing cameras and critical event recorders on its fleet of 1,800 trucks. The result of this was that in 2018, Maverick only saw one reportable accident, which is any accident involving an injury or requiring the truck to be towed.

Maverick also uses the speed limiters on its trucks to cap the maximum speed to 65 mph. Speed limiter use is being advocated by many safety groups, but despite a NHTSA proposal to mandate its use on all heavy-duty trucks, there is no federal rule regarding them. The devices began to be installed on trucks in 1992.

Victims of truck accidents may have the grounds for a personal injury case against the driver, against the employer or against the manufacturer or a defective part. These are just some possibilities. If the trucker was speeding, then the claim would be filed against the company. Victims will need proof of negligence, which might include physical evidence at the crash site and footage captured by in-cab cameras. For this and other reasons, victims may want to consider legal representation.