Semis, tractor-trailers or 18 wheelers; whatever you prefer to call them, operating a large truck comes with a special responsibility to other drivers. Due to their massive size, handling trucks require extra skill, and when they do crash, the resulting damage can be devastating.
Now, a new rule being considered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) could help make the roads safer for everyone.
Rollover Prevention Strategy to Include Electronic Stability Control
The NHTSA has declared rollover accidents to be its highest immediate priority in the trucking industry. Why? Truck rollovers are a fairly common occurrence and are among the deadliest of all crash types. But, many rollovers are also quite preventable.
An electronic stability control system automatically slows wheels as a vehicle heads into a turn too fast and corrects steering in emergencies. According to NHTSA sponsored research, electronic stability control is just as effective in trucks as it is in passenger automobiles.
Currently, electronic stability control is an optional feature on semis; around a quarter of new trucks sold are equipped with the technology. The NHTSA is expected to announce updated crash-avoidance standards for trucks by the end of 2011, and a rule requiring electronic stability control in almost all trucks is likely.
Drivers Protected, Costs Lowered
A study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute concluded that the inclusion of electronic stability control in all large trucks would prevent thousands of crashes annually, translating into over a hundred lives saved and some 6,000 injuries avoided every year.
Electronic stability control systems for large trucks sell for about $2,000 to $3,000; a rule change requiring their installation would mean a significant upfront investment from trucking firms. However, even a single trucking accident can entail substantial costs, such as legal expenses, property damage and lost productivity; outfitting all trucks with electronic stability control would ultimately result in an estimated savings of $1.7 billion annually.
Seek Legal Help
Only time will tell what the final NHTSA rule determination will say about electronic stability control for all large trucks. But, it is clear that many accidents could be prevented; electronic stability control would improve safety for truckers as well as innocent motorists in nearby vehicles who often suffer injury in trucking accidents.
