Drivers in Pennsylvania may feel uncomfortable about driving near commercial trucks, but they will be happy to hear about an AAA study advising trucking companies to consider four safety technologies for their fleet. These are lane departure warning systems, automatic emergency braking, air disc brakes and video-based onboard safety monitoring systems.
By analyzing other studies, crash data between 2010 and 2015, and the recommendations of an advisory panel, authors of the study were able to estimate just how many crashes these devices could prevent. With video-based monitoring, that number was a staggering 63,000. The other numbers are: 6,372 with lane departure warning systems, 5,294 with emergency braking and 2,411 with air disc brakes. Altogether, they could also prevent 23,275 injuries and 500 deaths.
Authors of the study are confident that the cost involved would far outweigh the benefits. For example, video-based systems cost between $300 and $750 (including installation) and come with a monthly service fee between $20 and $60 per truck. Besides the added safety, other drivers on the road will feel safer knowing that trucks are protected. An AAA companion survey showed that one in four adults expressed this belief.
However, the reality is that only larger trucking companies have the means to employ such safety measures. This means many truckers are still unequipped with the means to prevent truck accidents. Driver negligence is something that technology can never entirely forestall. If someone is injured by a trucker, he or she may benefit from consulting with an attorney about filing a personal injury claim.
Trucking companies will have their own team of lawyers aggressively backing them up, so a lawyer may be helpful for negotiating a settlement. The law firm may also hire accident reconstruction experts, photographers, and other experts to build up all the proof they can find of the trucker’s negligence.