The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced that its Brake Safety Week will take place from September 16 to 22. Certified personnel will conduct inspections of commercial motor vehicles to identify vehicles with brake violations and remove them from the road. North Carolina is part of CVSA’s Region II. Poorly maintained or improperly installed brakes on commercial vehicles increase the danger to drivers.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, conducted a study titled Large Truck Crash Causation Study. According to the LTCC study, 32.7 percent of trucks that had pre-crash violations also had problems with their brakes. Of large trucks involved in crashes where braking was critical, 45.5 percent were found to have brake violations. Where braking was not a relevant factor in the crash, 29.9 percent of trucks involved had brake violations.
In 2017, the CVSA had Brake Safety Day, during which it found that 14 percent of the inspections resulted in a commercial motor vehicle being removed from service for brake violations. Brake Safety Week will also include efforts by law enforcement to educate mechanics, drivers and owner-operators about the importance of brake maintenance. The program is designed to lessen the number of crashes that result from brakes that are poorly maintained.
Violations related to brakes accounted for the highest percentage of out-of-service violations during 2017’s International Roadcheck. Individuals who are injured in commercial truck accidents may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages or other damages. An attorney with experience in personal injury law may be able to help by examining the facts of the case and developing a strategy for negotiations or trial. An attorney might gather evidence in support of the client’s claims or draft and file a complaint for damages in civil court.