If you suffered injury in a truck accident in West Virginia, then you may be eligible for compensation. Much depends, of course, on whether the trucker was negligent. Even if a trucker has an advanced driver assistance system engaged, these features cannot help if the trucker drives distractedly or drowsily, for instance.
Driver assistance systems still a benefit to truck fleets
Nevertheless, it’s desirable for more truck fleets to incorporate advanced driver assistance systems, especially automatic emergency braking and forward-collision braking. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration even held a Truck Safety Summit on Aug. 5 to discuss the benefits of these features in particular. Some truck fleets have individually reported on the ways that automatic breaking improved their employees’ safety.
One company in Arkansas, for instance, said it saw a 50% drop in rear-end collisions after installing automatic emergency braking on 98% of its tractor-trailers. In addition, whatever crashes occurred had their severity lessened. This resulted in fewer fatalities and serious injuries, shorter equipment downtime and truckers who would stay on longer with the company.
Groups urge nationwide adoption of automatic systems
Automatic emergency braking and forward-collision warning are slated to become standard components in most passenger vehicles by 2022. There’s no nationwide mandate on advanced driver assistance systems for commercial trucks, however. Only stability control is required as per a mandate that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued in 2017.
Some groups are urging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to push for the nationwide adoption of these features. For now, it’s up to individual fleets whether they want the features installed. Of all newly sold heavy-duty vehicles, between 45% and 50% come with advanced safety systems ordered by the fleets.
Personal attention on your accident case
You may have a valid personal injury case on your hands if the trucker was clearly at fault, but you might not know how to start the claims process. This is where a lawyer may come in. The lawyer might hire crash investigators to show how the trucker was negligent and then proceed to settlement negotiations.
