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Technology Key to Preventing Trucking Accidents in the Future

The use of safety technologies has helped reduce the number of people being killed in auto accidents across the country. Federal transportation safety officials believe that the same goals can be achieved in the field of trucking safety as well.

Officials representing various federal transportation safety agencies are of the opinion that advanced driver assistance systems that have been so useful in helping reduce the number of accidents killing motorists in the United States, can be of great help if these are applied to heavy vehicles as well.

During a recent virtual trucking safety summit, representatives of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration as well as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration voiced their belief that the use of improved safety technologies in commercial trucks could help bring about the same kind of safety results as has been seen in automobiles.

Specifically, lane departure warning systems, forward collision warning systems and automated braking systems have been very useful in helping reduce the number of fatal injuries resulting from auto accidents across the country. The same technologies can be used to great benefit in the trucking industry too.

Federal officials believe that the expanded use of auto safety technologies in many models of passenger vehicles has helped reduce the number of these vehicles colliding with commercial tractor trailers and trucks.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to experiment with the use of such technologies in heavy vehicles too. As part of that effort, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration later this year plans to roll out the option for commercial truck manufacturers to install adaptive headlights for drivers as well as targeted lights from upper headlamps.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also currently in the process of operational testing of a number of additional new technologies for heavy vehicles. These technologies include blind spot warning systems, lane departure warning systems, advanced braking systems and forward collision warning systems. All of these technologies have great potential to reduce the number of injuries and accidents involving tractor trailers every year.

The Covid-19 pandemic has reiterated the importance of the American trucking industry, and the widespread expansion of e- Commerce as well as delivery services has underscored the need for the use of better technologies to help keep our highways safe even as we continue to ensure the smooth transportation of goods and services across Georgia. The topic of trucking safety is more important now than ever. More than ever, it is important for us to look at the deepest problems affecting safety in the trucking industry, including shortages of safe parking space and the limited use of technology in accident prevention.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a trucking accident, talk to an Atlanta trucking accident attorney at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers, and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages. You may be eligible for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages.

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