Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

In 2011, teen drivers near the nation's Capital pledged to help make our roadways a little bit safer by allowing more room on our roadways for large trucks, by staying out of their blind spots, and by signing a "No Texting Promise." Teens vowed to consciously practice these habits as a part of a truck safety demonstration they attended that was organized by national safety officials and families of distracted driving crash victims, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Given the rapidly growing number of fatal accidents caused by distracted driving - especially in teen drivers - our Missouri truck accident attorneys believe that more events like this one are desperately needed.

At this FMCSA event, officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) spoke to students in the area about the importance of safe and cautious driving around big trucks in an attempt to prevent truck accidents in Missouri and across the country.

It's important for motorists to recognize that these large trucks drive differently than passenger vehicles do. While a passenger vehicle may be able to brake suddenly when required, a fully loaded tractor-trailer requires nearly twice the distance to stop. Tractor trailers also have large blind spots, or "No Zones," that motorists must avoid. In 2009, nearly 100 large trucks were involved in fatal motor-vehicle accidents in Missouri. A large truck is officially classified as vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds.

"We want everyone to be safe, but as newer drivers, teens must adhere to a few simple rules," said Anne Ferro, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. "They are: buckle up, don't drink and drive; don't speed, don't text or use your phone, and steer clear of a truck's blind spots."

Continue reading "Teen Drivers and Commercial Trucks Can Be a Dangerous Combination in Missouri and Nationwide" »

In this post, our Missouri truck accident lawyers share information from a US Department of Transportation study. The study tested how stability control systems on tractor trailer trucks work in reducing rollovers for semi-tractor trailers. The study verifies that stability control systems do function, but they can only do so much. Many tractor trailer accidents can still be traced back to driver error.

A major tractor-trailer accident that happened in Missouri last summer is relevant to this discussion. In August 2011, a UPS tractor trailer traveling westbound on I-44 caused the highway to be closed between Stanton and St. Clair for several hours. The driver was pulling tandem trailers and overturned shortly before 8 a.m. One hour later the driver was still trapped, as local firefighters worked to free him from the wreckage. The tractor-trailer accident closed both westbound lanes and one eastbound lane of I-44. No other vehicles were involved and the driver, with serious injuries, was taken to St. John's Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur by helicopter.

According the Missouri State Highway Patrol initial tractor-trailer crash report, the driver was traveling westbound when he left the road on the left side and struck the cable-median barrier; then he reentered the road only to leave it on the left side again where the truck and first trailer then overturned. Reports suggest the driver over-corrected after the leaving the road the first time, which caused the tractor-trailer to leave the road a second time and tip over.

The news is full of tractor trailer accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted an extensive study on tractor semi-trailer roll stability to evaluate stability control systems. NHTSA wanted to assess the latest technology developed in the trucking industry. Vehicle stability control systems attempt to keep a trailer more stable when one or more of the wheels begin to leave the road as occurs during turns, lane changes, swerving, or jack-knife type incidents.

Continue reading "Do Stability Control Systems Help Prevent Missouri Trucking Accidents?" »

If you've ever driven on a Missouri highway, you've probably seen "alligators" by the side of the road. And no, we're not talking about the alligators you might find in a Florida swamp. A roadside alligator is tire debris, often referred to as a "gator skin" by the trucking industry, and commonly found along any stretch of roadway, from St. Louis to Springfield and from Kansas City to Cape Girardeau. These roadside alligators can cause trucking accidents and truck related traffic accidents: in fact, our Missouri truck accident lawyers have seen many accident cases involving tire debris. Trucking accidents can be caused by loss of control due to a tire blow out. Other vehicles can be struck by tire debris. When drivers try to avoid debris, or run it over, additional collisions can occur.

A Retread Study with Missouri Trucking Accident Implications
A common belief is that gator skins come from retread tires. A retread is a tire manufactured by bonding new tread onto a used (but still in excellent condition) tire casing. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) decided to find out if these traffic hazards are indeed the product of retread tires.

During the summer of 2007, UMTRI begun a two year nationwide study. They collected tons of tire debris and tire casings from interstates and truck stops near major trucking routes. Then, the tire materials were analyzed to determine if the debris and casings came from new tires or from retreads. UMTRI also attempted to pinpoint what exactly caused the tire failure. Part of trucking accident law (and part of UMTRI's mission) is to determine the cause of trucking accidents, and make efforts reduce the number of truck related damages, injuries and fatalities.

The Study Results
The study showed that 60% of the tire casings tested, when the origin could be determined, came from new tires. The study also showed that only 21% of the tire debris came from new tires, meaning 79% of tire debris came from retreads.

Perhaps more importantly, the study determined the primary causes of tire rupture of failure. They found the following causes, In order of prevalence:

• 38% of the fragments came from a roadside hazard, such a nail puncture or hitting a curb.
• 36% of the casings came from a roadside hazard.
• 32% of the tire casings came from operational or maintenance issues.
• 30% of the fragments came from excessive heat.
• Fewer than 15% of failure in both casings and fragments actually came from the retread process.

Continue reading "Roadside "Alligators" and Missouri Trucking Accidents: Are Retread Tires to Blame?" »

This week, our Missouri truck accident attorneys were pleased to see that the Missouri Senate passed an important bill that directly impacts the safety of Missouri motorists in more ways than one. Bill SB443 puts Missouri in compliance with federal standards related to commercial truckers who have a history of driving under the influence.

To read a summary of SB443, click here.

The bill passed 29-4, and will now proceed to the House. Under the terms of the new legislation, drivers who have suspended or revoked licenses will find it much more difficult to have limited driving privileges reinstated. Those drivers will no longer be able to obtain restricted licenses due to the need for medical treatment, or to prevent an "undue hardship." Additionally, drunk driving offenders would be required to wait 45 days (instead of 30, under current law) to regain any limited driving privileges. Finally, importantly, interstate truck drivers will be required to submit written medical proof that they are indeed fit to drive.

Aside from the obvious safety benefits of SB443, the Senate's passage of the bill will likely stop the state from losing tens of millions of federal dollars for Missouri road construction and improvements. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) had set a January 30 deadline for all states to comply with federal mandates, but in late 2011, approximately 1/3 of states (including Missouri) reported that they would not meet that deadline. Last year, about $20 million in Missouri's federal funds were repurposed from construction to highway safety efforts, because the state was one of 15 not in compliance with federal regulations related to drunk drivers. Until the law is changed, those funds will continue to be repurposed.

FMCSA has warned that states failing to meet the deadline could lose 5% of highway funding, meaning that Missouri stands to lose approximately $30 million this year. For that reason, state legislators have put a rush on the bill. The Senate Transportation Committee took a single day to approve SB443, and the Senate voted for its passage on January 27.

Continue reading "Missouri Senate Passes SB443 to Comply With Federal Mandates Regarding Truck Drivers and Drunk Driving Offenses" »