Safer trucks are available, and they’re worth the cost

On Behalf of | Oct 19, 2020 | Motor Vehicle Accidents

If you are injured by a truck, or someone in your family dies in a truck crash, it can be galling to know that it could have been avoided. Yet research shows the technology available could save thousands of lives if truck companies fitted it.

A 2017 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety looked at four types of truck technology and analyzed the cost-benefit analysis of installing these technologies. The study found that “the benefits of adding many of these technologies to trucks clearly outweigh the cost.” The figures below show how many accidents each technology could prevent:

  • Video-based onboard safety monitoring: 63,000 crashes, 17,733 injuries and 293 deaths.
  • Lane departure warning: 6,372 crashes, 1342 injuries and 115 deaths.
  • Automatic braking: 5,294 crashes, 2,753 injuries and 55 deaths.
  • Air disk brakes: 2,411 crashes, 1,447 injuries and 37 deaths.

The report recommended the installation of video monitoring and lane departure warning systems on all new and existing big rigs. Air disk brakes and automatic braking were considered worth installing on new trucks.

This report has been available for three years. Trucking companies are likely to be aware of the findings. Yet, if you are injured in a New Hampshire truck accident, a truck company and its insurers will try to minimize the compensation they pay you. If they have chosen not to install these technologies, they may have decided that their profit is worth more than your safety. Seek legal help to hold them responsible for their actions and get the compensation you need.