Several truck accidents in Virginia have prompted the authorities and the general public to demand that trucks drivers be monitored more rigorously. Since truck drivers are commercial drivers, authorities are making the laws that apply to them stricter than the ones that apply to other drivers in Virginia. Trucks can also be responsible for devastating accidents due to their size and the impact that a truck can have on other vehicles. Surprisingly, lately, trucking companies have fallen off of the state authorities’ radar when it comes to keeping the streets safe.
Currently, trucking companies have been working to ensure greater truck driving safety not only because of the authorities or the public outrage, but also because of the millions of dollars that they spend every year due to truck accident lawsuits. Research and statistics have revealed that the average cost of a truck accident is $195,258, while the cost for fatal truck accidents may be as high as $3.5 million. Last year alone, the highest amount of money involved in a fatal car accident was $34 million. Truck accident victims often hire an experienced attorney who may target the truck company’s insurance company, as well as the trucking company, if they decide to sue to obtain justice for their clients.
At this point, several trucking companies have installed driver-facing cameras in their commercial trucks, which are expected to decrease the number of truck accidents each year. While most truck drivers usually travel alone in their trucks, even at night, having such monitoring would make them more accountable and hence, more careful while driving their trucks.
Even though some truck drivers feel that the cameras are an invasion of their privacy, the recent study showing an increase of 3 percent in truck accidents seems to make greater truck driver accountability a necessity. Such footage from the truck driver’s camera can also be presented as evidence in court to prove the cause of the truck accident.
Source: Fortune, “There’s pressure in the industry to monitor truck drivers – and drivers aren’t happy,” David Z. Morris, May 26, 2015