Category: Articles, Auto Safety, Automotive/Trucking, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts, Safety 39 Ways To Reduce Driver Fatigue TASA ID: 9075 Driver fatigue is a persistent safety risk, especially for commercial drivers and other fleet drivers who may be driving at night and/or for long distances. Falling asleep-at-the-wheel (AATW) is the most dangerous fatigue risk. A 3-4 second highway “microsleep” means a football field of unguided vehicle motion. AATW crashes usually occur when drivers nod off and then drift off the road where they strike a fixed object or perhaps roll down an embankment. Such crashes are often severe. In fact, fatigue involvement in fatal crashes is five times that of minor crashes (FMCSA, 2014; Tefft, 2012). In addition to human risks, AATW crashes can be high-liability. Truck driver AATW cases have resulted in multi-million dollar “nuclear verdicts” when 80,000 lb. trucks strike passenger cars one-twentieth of their size. Below are 39 ways that these crash risks can be reduced. A bonus is that many of the same practices reducing driver drowsiness also boost overall human health, well-being and performance. The first 18 are individual behaviors to promote in fatigue education programs. The remaining 21 are organizational policies and practices which foster those same positive behaviors and outcomes. Read more
Category: Articles, Auto Safety, Automotive/Trucking, Personal Injury, Resources for Attorneys Suicide by Truck TASA ID: 9075 A 2014 investigational analysis of large truck fatal crashes in Sweden (Bálint et al., 2014) reported that 17% of them were attributable to suspected suicide. The two major suicide scenarios were cars (or other light vehicles) crossing the highway centerline and pedestrians stepping out in front of trucks. Another 9% were judged “unknown” for suicide, while the remaining 74% were coded “no.” An international trucking firm based in Australia reviewed each of its fatal crashes and estimated that 20% or more were suicides, with the majority involving pedestrians (Jones, 2020). Read more
Category: Articles, Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Auto Safety, Automotive/Trucking, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts Off-Road Vehicle Accidents TASA ID: Off-road vehicle use and available products for the consumers to use off-road has increased dramatically over the past several decades. With the increased use, the number of accidents resulting in serious injuries and death to the users have also increased in alarming numbers. Many of these accidents are not caused by the users of these vehicles, but instead, are caused by the defects that are inherent in some of these off-road vehicles. Read more
Category: Articles, Auto Safety, Personal Injury, Resources for Attorneys, Safety Trail to Trial Personal Injuries and Cycling TASA ID: 1199 CNN Money[1] recently announced, "For entrepreneurs, cycling is the new golf." In fact, Google that thought and you will see quite a few references. The popularity of bicycles has expanded faster than any other participant sport in America. Recent sales figures indicate a 33.2% increase in volume from only a few years ago. To put that in perspective, there are far more cyclists in America than golfers, tennis players and skiers combined. The participation profile indicates many more adults, from their mid-20s through their mid-60s are now riding and even racing bikes. While a lot of us are enjoying our bicycles, we cannot forget the ever present risks. Many of the new crop of mature freedom-loving riders are more secure financially, so those risks are worth calculating. Read more
Category: Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Auto Safety Airbag Deployment Issues, Role of Vehicle Structure and Occupant Safety TASA ID: 3190 Airbags in modern automobiles have been around for many years, and their record in improving occupant safety in crashes is generally well accepted. However, many questions still arise regarding their deployment and performance in crashes. Some of these questions and the underlying issues, as well as statistical analyses of accident data, are presented in this article. Read more
