Atlanta accident lawyers will be pleased to know that the Department of Transportation has posted a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, which deals with stricter testing for drug use.

The NPRM proposes a number of measures that are designed to prevent commercial motor vehicle drivers abusing drugs from slipping through the cracks. The NPRM proposes initial testing for 6-acetylmorphines, and lowering the cut off for cocaine and amphetamines. The idea is to align testing standards with the testing standards of Health and Human services.  According to the HHS, such testing would help identify approximately 10% of drug users in the commercial driver population, who currently remain unidentified.  

Truck drivers are at a higher risk of amphetamine abuse. These drugs are used to induce alertness, helping truckers stay awake for longer periods of time. Use of stimulants like methamphetamines can have serious side effects. The person may begin to feel extremely drowsy as the drug’s effects begin to wear off, with serious consequences. Employers can now identify drivers who had been using these drugs, but had remained unidentified because of the higher cut off points.

Employers are required to test their employees before employment, and to conduct periodic and random testing of drivers. Earlier, there was rampant and widespread abuse of the system by drivers who managed to escape a positive drug test result by using products, like synthetic urine. Since then however, the Department of Transportation has amended the rules to require trucking companies to procure drug testing records of potential workers from their previous employees.

Measures like these make it harder for rogue truckers with a history of drug and alcohol abuse to enter the system.  

The Atlanta truck accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent persons injured in truck, semi truck and tractor trailer accidents in the metro Atlanta area and across the state of Georgia.

Commercial truck thefts have spiked across the country, including Georgia, and the implications for safety are enormous.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Georgia along with Texas, California, New Jersey, Illinois and Florida continues to be at a high risk for such heists.  The number of such thefts increased dramatically during the same period from 2007 to 2008.  For instance, when you consider the value of goods, 2009 saw truckloads worth $487 million stolen, as compared to the $290 million worth stolen in 2008.

The biggest possible explanation for this increase in heists seems to be the weak economy that’s pushing amateurs into crime. This is also corroborated by the fact that most cargo heists seem to involve loads of consumer goods, electronics, clothing and food.

These heists have numerous implications for consumers, as well as motorist safety. The health and safety of consumers can be threatened when stolen, inactive, or even worse, deteriorated pharmaceutical drugs from a stolen truck make it into the market and reach consumers.  Last year, a tractor trailer carrying about $8.8 million worth of pharmaceutical drugs was swiped from a truck stop in Temple. The driver had left the rig unintended for a while at a truck stop. Also last year, another refrigerator truck carrying $11 million worth of insulin vials was stolen in North Carolina at a truck stop. As soon as the theft came to light, the Food and Drug Administration and the insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk, alerted pharmacies and health care professionals about the heist, and advised them to monitor their stocks. In spite of these precautions, several people in Texas and Kentucky fell sick after they used inactive insulin from stolen vials.

As truck accident lawyers in Atlanta, we are also concerned about the risk from speeding criminals who have very little experience and no training in operating a tractor trailer rig. Also, consider the fact that these criminals are likely to be speeding to get away with the cargo, and there is a high possibility of accidents.  Besides, truckers may face the risk of violence and assaults during a heist.

Trucking companies need to address these issues, not just from a financial loss standpoint, but also in terms of the risks to trucker, motorist and consumer safety.

Thirty five truck drivers from Georgia have been honored by UPS for their impeccable driving. The 35 have been admitted to the company’s “Circle of Honor.” The Georgia drivers are among 928 UPS drivers who have been admitted into the elite group this year.

The honor is given to those drivers who have completed 25 years of driving without accidents.  Georgia’s safest UPS driver is Robert Millican Jr. of Flintstone, who has accumulated 40 years of driving without a single accident. Milliken Jr. is placed at 9^th position among 102,000 UPS drivers.

The Circle of Honor is a UPS tradition that celebrates drivers who have completed a quarter century or more without accidents on their record. Out of a total of 2,436 UPS drivers in Georgia, there are now 197 drivers who are members of the Circle of Honor. These drivers have among them a total of 5,693 years of driving without an accident.

As Atlanta truck accident lawyers, our practice also includes helping injured truck drivers who have been involved in accidents. Suffice to say we come across hundreds of drivers every year. We have found most of them to be hard working people with a strong moral fiber and a desire to be safe and help others on the road reach home safely.

These truckers work in what is easily in one of the worst occupations in America. Long hours that begin at the crack of dawn, days away from family and loved ones, loneliness, strenuous loading and unloading, risks of dozing off from fatigue on endless highways, risk of developing obesity, hypertension, diabetes , cardiac disease, sleep apnea and a range of other disorder – a trucker’s life includes all these and more travails. That’s why it is so gratifying to know that so many of Georgia’s UPS drivers have been able to complete 25 years without a single truck accident on their record. To overcome all risk factors and maintain a blemish-free record is definitely worth our appreciation and our thanks!

Tractor Trailer Accident in Perry, Georgia Kills One

A hit and run tractor trailer accident in Perry, Georgia has killed one person. According to reports, the woman was a Michigan resident. She and her husband were in a Ford pickup truck when the truck was hit by a tractor trailer. The woman was declared dead at the scene, while her husband suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted to the Medical Center of Georgia.

The driver of the tractor trailer, Texas resident Luis Lopez Guzman Jr. drove off after the crash. He has now been charged with drunk driving and leaving the scene of the accident. Guzman also apparently ran a red light before crashing into the pickup truck. So far, there is no information about the trucking company that employed Lopez Guzman.  

Under federal rules, trucking companies are required to conduct random alcohol and drug testing of a truck driver. They are also prohibited from hiring or using truck drivers they know have a history of drunk driving. If a truck accident investigation determines that these rules were broken, then the trucking company could be held liable. Truckers also have a much lower legally allowed BAC level at .04, as opposed to .08 for the general population. All these rules reflect the seriousness with which the agency views intoxicated driving by truckers.

While this could be called an accident for purposes of litigation, there was nothing accidental about Guzman’s behavior here.  Guzman chose to drink alcohol before driving, chose to run a red-light and commit whatever other traffic violations he committed, and chose to disappear from the scene of the accident, leaving a dead woman and her seriously injured husband on the roadside.

The Atlanta truck accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of truck, tractor trailer and 18 wheeler accidents in and around the metro Atlanta area.

It looks like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants to make sure that any new Hours of Service rule for truckers includes public concerns. The agency has announced public listening sessions to gain public input about the issue.  

Trucker working hours have been a subject of great debate since these were changed to 11 hours from the previous 10 years by the Bush administration in 2008. As Atlanta trucking accident attorneys, we have strongly opposed any move to increase the number of consecutive hours a trucker can operate his rig, because of the risk of driver fatigue. An additional hour can save the industry approximately $2 billion a year, but places the trucker and innocent motorists at high risk of an accident.

Last year, the Federal Carrier Motor Carrier Safety Administration promised that it would revise the trucker HOS rules, and come up with a new set of rules. The agency has now announced on its website, a series of 4 listening sessions that will allow the public to add their suggestions or comments to the decision-making process. The first three sessions will be held in Dallas, TX, Arlington, VA and El Segundo, CA. The fourth venue is expected to be announced soon. The agency has also drafted a list of questions that will be discussed during the sessions.

Trucker fatigue is an important issue that affects the safety of hundreds of thousands of truckers, and millions of innocent Americans. The trucking industry insists that the additional work hour actually reduces the risk of accidents. It’s this kind of skewed logic that the industry is well known for. These are the same people who insist that having larger and heavier tractor trailers on our highways will actually help save lives, although they don’t manage to convince Atlanta truck accident lawyers about how this will happen.

Just in time for Christmas comes a new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule that increases pressure on new truck and bus companies to meet safety rules, thereby reducing their risk of accidents. The rule went into effect in February this year, but requirement to comply began on the 16^th of December.

According to the new rule, newly registered truck and bus companies will have to comply strictly with the agency’s 16 regulations. These regulations cover driver qualifications, testing for alcohol or substance abuse, repair of truck defects listed by the driver, failure to periodically inspect these vehicles and other safety aspects. If a new bus or truck company violates even one of these 16 regulations, then it stands to fail its safety audit. Also, if roadside bus and truck inspections find additional violations, then the new company may be subjected to an expedited safety audit, and may be fined or even placed out of service.

The FMCSA has also improved the quality of its educational and technical assistance materials, so that these new companies can keep themselves informed about motor carrier safety standards that apply to them, and make sure that they are in compliance with these. The agency believes that the new rule will enhance its ability to identify unsafe motor carriers, and crack down on these companies.

As Atlanta truck accident lawyers, we welcome the FMCSA’s stricter policies on new truck and bus companies. The new rule will be able to identify potentially problem carriers right at the start, and ensure that these carriers do not receive permanent registration until they correct all deficiencies, and are in full compliance.

Atlanta Firefighter Injured in Accident Involving Loose Truck Tire

As Atlanta truck accident lawyers, we often find a common misconception that in a tractor trailer or commercial truck accident, the truck must be involved in a direct impact accident with the other vehicle for it to qualify as grounds for liability. As we often see, semi rigs and 18 wheelers can cause injuries to motorists and bystanders even if there is no contact between the rig and smaller vehicle. An example of an injury like this occurred in Atlanta in June this year when a firefighter was seriously injured from a tire that rolled off a nearby 18-wheeler.

Firefighter Willie Surry was fighting a brush fire on Interstate-285 near Langford Parkway. According to Surry, the last thing he remembers is putting out the brush fire, before he woke up severely injured in the hospital. A wheel had flown off a tanker truck, hitting the firefighter. Surry suffered serious injuries, including a punctured lung, multiple broken bones and a tear in the knee. He was hospitalized for a month and a half, and may need more surgeries.

The months since the accident have been spent in excruciating pain. Surry was first confined to a wheelchair, but has since begun to use a walker, and now, a cane to get round. However, going back to work on a fire truck again is a distant dream. According to the CBS report, the wheel that flew off the tanker truck had just been repaired that day. Obviously, repairs were not performed as well as required.

The wheels and tires of a tractor trailer are subject to severe wear and tear. These vehicles travel hundreds of miles in a course of days, and the wheels can be subject to constant pressure. Tire-related truck accidents can involve tire blowouts and tires coming lose and injuring motorists.

·        When a tire blowout occurs, large pieces of the tire may shoot out. These pieces of rubber can be heavy enough to crash through the windshields of cars nearby or strike motorcyclists. Serious injuries and deaths are common in such incidents.

·        A tire blowout can also cause the tractor trailer driver to lose control of his truck. The rig could jackknife or flip over.  In all these instances, motorists in the vicinity are at risk of injury.

·        Loose lug nuts on a wheel can cause the wheel to come off, while the truck is under operation. These large, heavy tires can roll off on the highway and into anything in their paths, including passenger vehicles and motorcyclists. The high speed of these runaway tires and the force with which they can crash into other vehicles can leave motorists seriously injured.

The Atlanta truck accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of 18 wheeler, tractor trailer and semi rig accidents in Atlanta and around the state of Georgia.

As Georgia truck accident lawyers, we have spoken out against the rule allowing a truck driver to drive for 11 consecutive hours.  The rule was passed by the Bush Administration, which proposed it a total of 3 times during its tenure in the White House. It was blocked twice in court after consumer safety advocates and truck safety groups challenged the rule, claiming that the government had failed to determine its impact on trucker health and motorist safety. But the Bush administration ultimately succeeded in reinstating the rule.

Now, the Obama Administration has agreed to review the 11-hour rule. The Associated Press is reporting that on Monday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration signed an agreement with safety and labor groups, promising to revise the rule. For now, the FMCSA is not saying how it will revise the rule, and what new limits will be placed on trucker hours, but as Georgia truck accident lawyers, we hope that any new rule will be closer to the ten-hour limit that was earlier in place. The agency has said that it will consider the situation, and come up with a new rule within the next 9 months.

For truck safety groups who have been campaigning against the rule, it is a hard fought victory. These groups include those who have lost the most from the rule - parents of victims of truck accidents involving fatigued truckers driving beyond their stipulated working hours.

The American Trucking Associations continues to insist that since the new rules extending consecutive driving hours from 10 to 11 came into effect, they have actually been responsible for reducing the number of fatal and serious accidents.

It’s easy to understand why the trucking industry would support a rule that increases the number of hours that a trucker can drive, and limits the number of rest hours per week. The additional hours make great financial sense for these companies, helping them flesh out their bottom-line.

As Georgia trucking accident attorneys, we hope that the new FMCSA rules, when they do come up, will restrict truck driving hours to ten, helping save truckers as well as motorists from accidents.

TV Report Focuses on Poorly Trained Truck Drivers

Last week, respected journalist Dan Rather presented a report on the poor quality of truck drivers emerging from the several CDL mills around the country on his weekly HD Net program.

The episode underscored what Georgia trucking accident lawyers have known for years – that the quality of truck drivers is a major contributing factor to accidents. Trucking companies often use questionable hiring practices. While a company is required to hire drivers only after checking his records, and verifying his training and skills, we know that doesn’t always happen. 

Most truckers happen to be experienced, well trained and competent drivers who take pride in what they do and do it well. However for many truckers, trucking is the last choice of profession. Rather, in the episode titled Queen of the Road, focuses on how dubious truck driver training schools across the country are churning out thousands of poorly trained drivers, who then take up employment at any trucking company that will have them. These drivers have zilch experience as tractor trailer drivers.

Rather introduces us to Desiree Wood, a single mom who took to trucking as a way out of a rough patch in her life. According to Wood, she attended a trucking school in Miami, and before she actually began driving a tractor trailer rig, had very little practical training driving one of these massive rigs. Rather also spoke to a former employee at another truck driver school in Oklahoma City, who confirmed what Atlanta truck accident attorneys know – there are thousands of less than qualified and trained drivers being sent out on the streets.  Those numbers, according to Rather’s report, are only getting bigger as the recession forces men and women into jobs they are barely trained for.

Not surprisingly, the trucking industry has not lost time hitting back at Rather’s report, which it calls, biased. Representatives for trucking industry insist that the industry is getting safer every year. However, the fact is that every year, an estimated 5,000 people die in tractor trailer accidents nationwide. Those figures may not have increased over the past few years, but they haven’t gotten any lower either.

Unscrupulous practices in the trucking industry have been open knowledge to Georgia truck accident lawyers and truck safety groups for a while now. The practice of manipulating log books goes on openly and unashamedly, and in spite of regulations, impromptu checks on big rigs continue to reveal shocking maintenance defects that pose a serious hazard to the trucker and motorist.

UPS Trucker Marks 3.5 Million Miles without an Accident

AsAtlanta truck accident lawyers, we constantly come up against negligent truck drivers who have caused a deadly accident by their reckless or impaired driving. That’s why it gives us great happiness when we come across the likes of Ginny Odom. This 59-year-old UPS driver has completed 3.5 million miles and 35 years driven without a single accident.

According to Odom, her feat has been made possible by the training provided by UPS, and some amount of luck. She also says she makes it a point to start her day at 4 am before the highways get busy.

Odom’s modesty may be a sign of her humility, but as DeKalb County truck accident lawyers, we know that there is very little luck involved in avoiding truck accidents.  Truckers have a huge role to play in avoiding crashes.

A trucker must make sure that a truck is well maintained and ready for the journey ahead, by conducting a pre-trip inspection every morning before setting off.

A truck driver must also avoid driving at excessive speeds. This includes driving within posted speeds limits for trucks, as well as taking into consideration weather and traffic conditions. For instance, a trucker must drive extra carefully during snow storms, heavy rains and strong winds. He must also drive carefully on extra-busy days, like the days leading up to a major holiday, when traffic is more congested than normal.

A truck driver must abstain from any kind of distractions while operating his rig.

It goes without saying that a truck driver must avoid driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A truck driver must avoid driving more number of hours than stipulated under the law.

As Atlanta truck accident lawyers, we often see that tractor trailer accidents are caused because of the negligence of a truck driver. Drivers like Jinni Odom provide an example worth emulating for all truckers, and prove that preventing accidents is often in the hands of the truck driver.

Big Rig Crackdown in Chatham County, Georgia Reveals Maintenance Issues

A new task force in Garden City, Chatham County is cracking down on truckers to keep unsafe big rigs off the roads and prevent accidents. The first few days of the crackdown have already revealed severe maintenance issues that could place tractor trailer drivers at possible risk of an accident.

Members of the task force know that while a tractor trailer may look like it's in perfect condition, there may be several maintenance issues that can place the vehicle at risk of an accident. The task force is already seeing some major maintenance problems on some of the trucks that have been pulled over. For instance, they have found trucks with a variety of maintenance issues, including malfunctioning lights, loose straps securing cargo, nearly bald tires with little tread and a host of other issues.

Unfortunately, motorists who share a highway with a big rig may assume that the larger vehicle is in good condition for the roads. As Georgia truck accident lawyers, we often see that that’s not the case at all. Lack of maintenance can increase the risk of an accident significantly. Accidents can be triggered by damaged brakes and brake lights, bald tires, loose lug nuts on the tire, malfunctioning steering wheel mechanisms, and other problems.

There's much that trucking companies and drivers can do to make sure that their trucks don't malfunction contributing to a collision.   Companies are required to maintain a properly functioning fleet.  Trucks must be well maintained, and trucks that need repairs must be put out of service until those repairs are performed. The trucker has a responsibility to conduct a pre-trip instruction before he sets out for the day. Unfortunately, truckers are often under strict and tight delivery schedules, and may neglect to conduct an inspection of the truck. The consequences for other motorists may be extremely serious.

A poorly maintained truck doesn’t have to be directly involved in a collision with another vehicle to cause injuries. Injuries and fatalities have occurred in the past when loose lug nuts on a tire came off, causing the wheel to roll away and into cars nearby. In other cases, motorists have been seriously injured from unsecured or improperly secured cargo falling off a truck, and on to a vehicle.

Computers in Cabs Increase Risk of Accidents, but Truckers Oppose Possible Ban

By now, everyone knows that texting while driving increases the risk of accidents, and must be avoided.  The high-decibel debate on texting while driving however, seems to have left out one segment of highway users – drivers of commercial trucks.

Commercial trucks these days come with computers in the cab, which are used to streamline trucking operations.  Companies use these devices to send companywide messages to truckers, relay new orders etc. There is no doubt that these computers have increased efficiency for these trucking companies, but they do expose the truckers to accident risks from distraction.

Experts believe that when a trucker uses his computer, he is just as much at risk for an accident, as a trucker who is text messaging behind the wheel. In August, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that truckers who used these computers while driving, increased their risk of an accident by ten times. Truckers argue that the level of distraction is much lower than the distraction caused by texting at the wheel, which increases the risk of an accident by a whopping 23 times. However, the fact is that a truck driver is more likely to use his computer, than text behind the wheel. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study also found that a big rig driver who uses these communication devices, had his risk of an accident or a near miss increased by 6.7 times.

Not surprisingly, truckers and trucking companies are against any ban on using these computerized devices behind the wheel. Drivers complain that it’s not easy to pull the truck over to use the computer.

A trucker who is distracted by his computer is a bigger accident risk than the driver of a smaller vehicle texting at the wheel. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, we lose up to 6000 people every year to accidents caused by distracted drivers. These shocking statistics call for strong measures, and these must apply to truckers and their computers as well.

The Atlanta trucking accident attorneys at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims and families of those killed in truck accidents in Georgia.

Senate confirmation hearings for President Obama’s nominee for head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, are going on. The choice of Anne Ferro to head the agency at a time when truck safety is topmost on all minds has become a prickly issue.

Much of the discontent over Ferro’s nomination is over her past as a trucking industry lobbyist in Maryland. Between 1997 and 2003, Ferro served as president and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, and for the past six years, has been registered as a lobbyist for state legislators.

She had nothing to do with federal lobbying, but even so, as Atlanta truck accident lawyers, we are definitely concerned about her opinions on trucking safety.  In 2008, the Bush Administration passed a regulation allowing an increase in the number of consecutive hours that a trucker could drive to 11 hours. As Georgia truck accident lawyers, we had strongly opposed any such increase in the number of hours truckers could drive at a stretch. Driving long hours contributes to driver fatigue, which is one of the major causes of truck accidents in Georgia. However, Ferro, in a letter to the Baltimore Sun, supported the rule, saying that it would prevent accidents and save lives.  Having a former trucking industry lobbyist, who one safety group calls an "apologist for the trucking industry,” as the head of the FMCSA could raise questions about conflict of interest.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, in 2008, 180 people were killed in Georgia in accidents involving a large commercial truck. Coweta County had three trucking accident fatalities last year, while DeKalb County had four, and Gwinnett County had three truck accident fatalities.

A large part of preventing truck accidents is having strong enforceable rules in place. For instance, there are proposals on to mandate trucking companies to install Electronic On Board Recorders (EOBR) to record the number of hours the trucker drives, thus preventing him from exceeding the number of work hours, and reducing the chances of fatigue. When asked by Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey if she would mandate EOBRs on trucks, Ferro shied away from a commitment to mandating installation of the devices, only saying that she would review available data on EOBRs.

The American people deserve to have a commercial vehicle safety agency, headed by responsible people who look out for the safety of citizens, and not the interests of trucking companies. We hope Ferro will not disappoint.

Truck Accidents in Crisp County, Savannah Leave Trail of Injuries

Two separate accidents in Savannah and Crisp County, both involving pickup trucks and 18 wheelers, have left one person dead and three critically injured.

• In the first accident, a 66-year-old woman suffered critical injuries when her Chevy turned in front of a big rig.  According to troopers, Ora Lee Morris was not wearing a seatbelt, and was ejected from the truck on impact. She was trapped underneath the truck. There is no information about why Morris turned her pickup right in front of the big rig.

• In the second accident a couple of days later, a pickup truck collided with a tractor trailer in Savannah. The three occupants of the pickup truck were ejected from the vehicle. One of them, a 61-year-old Savannah resident was declared dead at the scene of the accident. The two other suffered critical injuries.

In both accidents, the tractor trailer driver did not suffer injuries.

These are just two examples of the devastating consequences to motorists involved in an accident involving a big rig. With up to 80,000 pounds of powerful force barreling into a pickup truck that can weigh an average of 7,300 pounds, there is little hope that the occupants of the smaller vehicle will escape serious injuries or death.

That’s why tractor trailer drivers have such a huge responsibility to drive safely and carefully to avoid accidents. Any errors can be disastrous to vehicles in the vicinity. Big rig drivers must always

• Stay within speed limits.
• Drive according to the weather and traffic conditions. 
• Avoid distractions of any kind.
• Follow traffic rules to the T. 

Errors of any kind when you are either driving a big rig or are in the vicinity of a tractor trailer can have disastrous consequence, as is evident in the critical injuries in these accidents.

The Atlanta truck accident attorneys at the Katz Law Firm represent victims injured in tractor trailer accidents in Atlanta and across Georgia.

A shipper group has announced the results of a nationwide poll that shows that a majority of Americans are in favor of raising weight limits on trucks on our interstate highways. Considering that the poll was commissioned by an association of more than one hundred shippers and other allied trucking groups, truck accident attorneys and other opponents of any such increase, should probably not give too much credence to those findings.

The poll was commissioned by the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, and the results apparently show that more than 50 percent of Americans are in favor of allowing trucks to carry more weight on interstate highways, as envisioned in the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009. According to the CTP, most Americans are in favor of higher weight limits on trucks that have higher safeguards if it would help create safer roads and more efficient highway transportation.

The Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009 or HR 1799, has been opposed by truck accident attorneys, safety advocates and families of victims killed in truck accidents. The bill would authorize states to allow trucks weighing up to 97,000 pounds to operate on interstate highways. Trucks would be required to add a sixth axle with brakes.

Another piece of legislation in direct contrast to HR 1799, the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act of 2009, would extend current limits of 80,000 pounds weight and 53 feet length for the 160,000 miles of the National Highway System.

We don’t need heavier trucks on our highways. What we need is for trucking companies to maintain safe fleets, hire qualified and experienced drivers and train them to follow all truck safety rules. As supporters of the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act of 2009, we believe that we have far too many accidents that occur because of highways with an outdated design or poor maintenance. Allowing heavier trucks on roads like these would make little safety sense.

An accident involving an 18 wheeler and an ice-cream truck has left the driver of the truck seriously injured.  Police have now arrested the 18 wheeler driver.

According to police, the 18 wheeler driver was traveling east on Camp Creek Parkway. He seems to have made a left turn at a green light that didn’t have a left turn arrow. The 18 wheeler was struck by an ice-cream truck, and also collided with another vehicle carrying four occupants. The driver of the ice-cream truck suffered serious injuries, and was airlifted to the Atlanta Medical Center. He is reportedly in serious condition. No other people were injured in this truck accident.   

Drivers of commercial trucks must pay attention to traffic rules at all times. As the driver of a massive vehicle that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, a tractor trailer driver simply does not have the luxury of making errors in judgment or other mistakes while driving. Any errors made by a tractor trailer driver can prove deadly.  

There are several other ways in which an 18 wheeler driver's negligence can cause a serious accident, like:

·        Tailgating

·        Driving above the posted speed limits

·        Driving at excessive speeds for road and weather conditions

·        Drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs

Any of these can cause a serious accident that leaves motorists with catastrophic injuries. Besides these, tractor trailer accidents can often be traced to a driver who has been driving long hours, and is tired and fatigued at the wheel. Truckers who suffer from sleep disorders like sleep apnea may be more at risk for fatigue-related crashes.

We always tend to take a stronger view of truckers breaking traffic rules because of the potentially deadly consequences that result from these actions. Traffic offenses like failure to yield or running a red light become magnified in severity when it’s an 80,000 pound vehicle you are talking about.

The truck accident attorneys at the Katz Law Firm represent victims of accidents involving 18 wheelers, tractor trailers and other large commercial trucks.

News coming in has confirmed a deadly truck accident this morning in Valdosta in Lowndes County. Apparently, four people have died in the accident that involved a car and a rental truck on I-75. The crash happened early this morning at about 2:30.  

It's a tragic start to the four-day long Georgia Highway Patrol crackdown that will last over the Fourth of July weekend. The crackdown begins at 6 pm today. Georgia Highway Patrol is expecting that there will be 22 fatalities in accidents over the weekend, which will end on July fifth. Law enforcement officers are gearing up for special anti drunk driving and speeding crackdowns to keep drunk drivers and dangerous speeders off the road. This will include special checkpoints around the state and additional patrolling.

The Fourth of July holiday sees the largest number of accident-related fatalities for a single day each year, and Georgia Highway Patrol, in spite of the crackdown, will be expecting no different this year. With the holiday traveling set to begin in full earnest on Thursday evening, Georgia car accident lawyers would encourage motorists to be careful out there.

• Avoid drinking and driving
• If you are out on our own and in no condition to drive, call for a cab or ask someone to drop you home
• If you are out with friends, make sure you designate a sober driver for the evening. Some cities have designated driver facilities that allow you to call for a driver to drop you and your fellow revelers home. Use these.
• Drive at posted speed limits or even slower, depending on the congested traffic conditions.
• It helps to keep in mind that more people die in accidents on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year. Keep in mind that there will be several brash motorists who may be intoxicated, on drugs, or may be speeding to get to a party.  

A recent highway safety agenda unveiled by the American Trucking Associations has 18 points that are sure to make Georgia truck accident attorneys every happy indeed.

The trucking group outlined the points on the agenda at a news conference at Capitol Hill. The program includes a set of comprehensive measures, including steps aimed at enhancing the performance of drivers, safer trucks and safer vehicles to prevent truck accidents.  

The agenda includes:

• Training drivers to minimize driver distractions
• Implementation of stricter licensing testing standards for commercial truck drivers
• Research into behaviors of individuals between 18 and 25 years to be used for a graduated commercial truck driver licensing system
• Maximum speed limit of 65mph for all motor vehicles
• More long term parking, as well as parking spaces in areas where there is a shortage of truck parking space
• Seatbelt use promotion
• Implementation of safety and awareness programs targeting passenger car drivers and truck drivers
• Speed enforcement in high risk zones
• Graduated drivers licensing for teen motorists
• Support for anti drunk driving measures
• Speed limiters on trucks of drivers convicted of driving offences
• Speed limits on class 7 and 8 trucks manufactured after 1992
• Better crashworthiness standards for new class 7 and 8 trucks
• Effective communication between employers and states
• National database of driver drug and alcohol test results
• A national registry of certified medical examiners
• Availability of a Driver Information Resource
• Safety training classes for new motor carrier owners

We are extremely pleased with the points on the agenda, especially those that relate to drunk truck drivers, a national database for employers to access truckers' drug and alcohol test results and awareness programs for both passenger vehicle drivers as well as commercial truckers. There is a definite need for making motorists aware of safe driving around tractor trailers. Too many truckers and motorists are killed in Georgia every year because of negligent driving by a motorist. However, we wish the agenda had made some mention of driver fatigue - which is an important factor in truck accidents - and looked at steps that could help minimize the risk of accidents from truckers who doze off at the wheel.

A motorist from Winder in Barrow County has died in a multi vehicle truck accident that involved at least three commercial trucks. Four other people were injured in the accident that took place on the 5^th  of June.

As Robert McIlwain began to slow down for traffic on I-85, his Honda CRV was struck by a tractor trailer. According to state patrol, the driver of the tractor trailer, Thomas Terry failed to notice that traffic was slowing down, and struck the guard rail before crashing into the CRV. The Honda CRV was pushed into the path of a second tractor trailer, and then overturned. McIlwain died from his injuries.

Terry then struck a 2004 Dodge Dakota before it overturned into a median. The Dakota was pushed into a third tractor trailer that had stopped for traffic. In all, four people were injured in the accident, including Terry.

One of the trucks involved in the multi-vehicle crash was apparently carrying potassium hydroxide, which is considered a hazardous chemical. There was no spillage, but Georgia Environmental Protection Division and clean up personnel were called to the scene to ensure that any dangers were contained.

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the accident, and has not yet confirmed, if any charges will be filed in the truck accident

Tractor trailer drivers have a lower speed limit than motorists. Part of the reason for this is that these large trucks take a much longer time to come to a complete stop than smaller vehicles do. In fact, a tractor trailer can travel several dozens of feet after the brakes are applied to come to a complete stop. That’s why a truck driver must take into consideration not just trucking speed limits, but also traffic conditions while driving.  

Operating a tractor trailer comes with special and unique challenges, and drivers must be aware of their responsibilities on the highways. As Georgia truck accident lawyers know all too well, errors by a truck driver can be disastrous for motorists on the highway.     

A new piece of legislation gives Georgia truck accident lawyers and families of victims who have died in accidents caused by drunk or pharmaceutically impaired truck drivers, plenty of cause for cheer. The legislation would set up a national database of commercial vehicle drivers' alcohol and drug test results.

The legislation called The Safe Roads Act, has been introduced by Senators Mark Prior, D-Arkansas, Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska and Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi. It will authorize $5 million every year to develop the database, and mandate trucking companies and medical review officers to report positive drug and alcohol test results to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Employers will be required to check the database, and make sure that the driver they plan to hire, does not have a history of substance use.

Drug and alcohol testing is mandatory for commercial trucking companies. A company is required under law to conduct a drug test before a driver begins duty. In spite of this, far too many truck drivers continue to drive tractor trailers and buses after testing positive for drug and alcohol use. The system has too many loopholes to prevent such drivers from slipping through the cracks. For instance, a company could fail to verify the employee's drug history. Applicants may not report their testing history accurately to new employers.

According to commercial driver data, the number of drivers who test positive for drugs in random testing is between 1.3 and 2.8 percent. That’s too large a number for truck accident lawyers to stomach. Too many motorists are placed at risk when there is a drunk driver at the helm of a tractor trailer.

Substance abuse by drivers is an important factor in trucking accidents. Truckers may use stimulants and poppers to stay awake for long hours. These stimulants, including Amphetamines and Methamphetamines, can cause a feeling of alertness and wakefulness among drivers, but can have serious side effects. There may be coordination problems that affect driving abilities. As the drug effects begin to wear off, the driver can slowly return to an even more fatigued state than he was in before he took the stimulants.

With a database like this, trucking companies in Georgia will have no excuse for hiring drivers without a clean record.