Charles Town And Martinsburg West Virginia Legal Blog

Truck accidents that cause injuries and even deaths are on the rise in West Virginia and across the country, according to statistics released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. While the number of trucks involved in deadly accidents increased by 3 percent from the year before, the total number of deaths saw an even larger increase, 6 percent. These figures reflect the fact that several of the most serious accidents took multiple lives.

In 2016, 4,317 people were killed in truck accidents on American roadways, an increase of over 220 from the 4,094 people killed the previous year in crashes that involved large trucks or buses. This increase is not new; on the contrary, it reflects the continuation of a documented rise in the number and the severity of deadly truck collisions. While deaths due to trucking accidents decreased by 34 percent between 2005 and 2009, most of that significant improvement has been wiped away in recent years. Between 2009 and 2016, fatalities increased by 28 percent, a trend that has continued to rise year over year.

Safety initiatives by the Road to Zero Coalition may make roads in West Virginia and throughout the country less dangerous in the decades ahead as the coalition has set a goal to end all traffic fatalities by 2050. The CEO of the National Safety Council says that although autonomous cars are likely still some way off, safety technology can still play a significant part in reducing fatal traffic accidents. The coalition has identified other focuses as well to bring down the numbers of deadly motor vehicle crashes.

The numbers rose in 2016 after several years of decline, with a 5.6 percent climb compared to 2015 resulting in the deaths of 37,461 people. Large trucks were involved in accidents that claimed 4,317 of those lives. Several of the initiatives proposed apply to trucks as well such as getting seat belt compliance to 100 percent from 90 percent. The coalition also plans to push toward a culture more focused on safety and away from behaviors such as driving under the influence, distracted driving and speeding.

Far too many drivers in West Virginia and across the United States continue to operate a vehicle while distracted, according to the results of a survey published by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Since 2013, the number of drivers who report holding cell phone conversations behind the wheel on a regular basis has risen 46 percent. At the same time, 88 percent of participants expressed serious concern about distracted driving, noting that it is a rising issue that is becoming more prominent.

The survey was conducted as part of the Traffic Safety Culture Index, which aims to identify popular attitudes and practices related to safety on the roads. It gathered data from 2,613 licensed drivers across the country aged 16 and older. The participants were asked about their own driving practices. Nearly 50 percent of the respondents said they had spoken on a handheld phone behind the wheel recently, and almost 45 percent of the participants said they had read text messages or emails while driving. Another 35 percent of the people who were surveyed said they had sent a text or email while operating a vehicle.