NTSB Calls for Technologies to Prevent Tanker Truck Rollovers

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Jason Schultz

 

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=74280

Stability control systems to prevent rollover accidents involving tractor-trailers have been around for a while now, but the federal administration does not mandate these in all trucks. The National Transportation Safety Board wants that to change.

The Board made these recommendations in its investigative report into a serious tanker truck rollover accident in Indianapolis in 2009. In that accident, the tanker truck loaded with more than 9000 gallons of LPG flipped over on an Indiana highway, and exploded in flames. There were no fatalities in the accident, but at least five people, including the tanker truck driver, were seriously injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board cited several factors leading to the crash. According to the Board, the driver's excessive and faulty steering maneuvers caused the tank to detach from the tractor. The report also blames faulty road design for the accident. Most of the blame was placed on the fact that the tanker truck was at an increased risk of a rollover because of its high center of gravity, and was not equipped with the kind of technology that would prevent a rollover.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that as many as 106 lives could be saved every year in tanker rollover accidents. There are more than 3600 such rollover accidents every year, and stability control systems on trucks can help prevent these events.

As an Atlanta truck accident attorney, I believe that stability control is especially necessary in tanker trucks, which carry liquid cargo. These liquids can move inside the tank, causing a shift in weight. Tanker trucks account for only 6% of the total truck traffic, but comprise 30% of all fatal commercial truck rollover accidents.

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DOT to Adopt NHTSA Bus Safety Plan to Prevent Accidents

Posted on November 19, 2009 by Jason Schultz

 

A series of bus accidents in recent months in Georgia and around the country have focused attention on our antiquated bus safety laws, including the failure to mandate seatbelts on buses, and have better scrutiny of motor coach companies.

 

As an Atlanta bus accident lawyer, I have been particularly troubled by the fact that NTSB recommendations to the FMCSA to mandate seatbelts on buses have been ignored for several years. That’s why it is very encouraging to read about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its Motor Coach Safety Action Plan that aims to prevent accidents and minimize injuries.   The plan includes measures that will

 

  • Require on-board recorders that will prevent motor coach drivers from operating their vehicles for longer than stipulated by federal laws. This will minimize the number of bus crashes that are caused by driver fatigue, like the one involving a casino bus in California that killed 11 people last year.
  • Ban drivers from text messaging while at the wheel, and place restrictions on the use of cell phones while driving. Studies have shown that the risk of accidents increases by 23 percent when a driver is texting at the wheel.
  • Make it harder for shady bus operators to be able to quickly rename companies and continue operations, when they are forced to shut down after violations have been found. Such unscrupulous companies find it easy to cover their tracks after an accident, making it hard for investigators to find out who owns the bus.
  • Require seatbelts on buses.
  • Develop stronger roof crush and collapse standards to prevent the kind of serious injuries that often occur when the roof of the bus disintegrates in a collision.

The Department of Transportation has already indicated its intention of adopting these measures. Seatbelt use may have prevented the kind of serious injuries and fatalities that occurred in the Bluffton University bus accident in Atlanta in 2007, which killed 7 occupants. The NTSB recommended seatbelts, and their use, on buses several decades ago, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has failed to act on these recommendations.

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NTSB Recommends Screening for Sleep Apnea for Truck, Bus Drivers

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Jason Schultz

 

A series of accidents and near-misses involving nearly all modes of transportation and drivers suffering from sleep apnea, has spurred the National Transportation Safety Board into action. The agency has recommended that commercial truck and bus drivers be screened for sleep apnea. The NTSB has recommended to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) that medical examiners probe truck and bus drivers about sleep apnea, and make more efforts to identify the disorder in these drivers.

 

Earlier this year, the NTSB made similar recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local transit agencies around the country. Those recommendations called for screening of airline pilots and train operators for sleep apnea. The move comes after a series of accidents involving sleep apnea and commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and even cruise ships.

 

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that is far more common than you think. Persons suffering from this condition experience interruptions in breathing during sleep. These interruptions can last for just a few seconds, and there may be multiple episodes in a night. The disturbed sleep leads tiredness or drowsiness the next day.

 

Sleep apnea is often hard to diagnose. There may be no other symptoms except for drowsiness and fatigue, and doctors may misdiagnose this as chronic fatigue syndrome, if diagnosed at all. Anyone can suffer sleep apnea, but occurs more frequently in those who are “overweight”.

It’s important to stress here that commercial truck drivers may actually be at a higher risk of sleep apnea simply due to their lifestyle. A trucker may work long hours, eat an unhealthy diet, and enjoy little exercise, all contributing to obesity and placing him at a higher risk for sleep apnea. Without screening, drivers may not receive treatment for the condition, placing them and the motoring public at risk for a serious truck accident.

 

Jason Schultz is an Atlanta trucking accident attorney, helping injured victims of tractor trailer and semi truck accidents recover compensation for their injuries.

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