MoDot will be conducting a public campaign from April 16 to May 6, which reminds motorists to drive safely around tractor trailers.
The attorneys at Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. frequently see individuals severely injured in tractor trailer accidents. Research shows in the majority of cases, drivers of passenger cars–especially young people–endanger themselves due to inattention and reckless driving around big rigs. Learning to drive safely near big rigs will help Missouri’s drivers reduce their risk of serious injury or death.
Some reminders from MoDOT to help keep you safe this travel season are:
Don’t cut off large trucks or buses. Make sure you can see the top of the truck or bus in your rearview mirror before moving back into your original lane.
Stay out of a truck’s blind spots or “No Zone”. Big rigs have large blind spots on either side and up to 200 feet behind a vehicle. Pass only on the left side.
Watch your following distance. Keep a safety cushion around trucks. Can you see the truck’s side mirrors? If not, the driver cannot see you.
Seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent. Drivers are required by state law to wear their seat belt. Failure to do so can result in a citation. Interstate commercial drivers risk both the driver and company’s safety score if operating without a seat belt.
For additional information regarding roadway safety, or other transportation-related topics, contact the MoDOT toll free, at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT. For more information on the Big Trucks Campaign, visit www.savemolives.com.
If you or someone you love have been injured in a tractor trailer accident, please contact the experienced tractor trailer accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.
A semi-truck crashed early Monday morning along I-44 in Springfield, MO. One of the occupants of the vehicle was trapped underneath the steering wheel for nearly an hour while crews worked to free him. The accident caused eastbound lanes to be closed for several hours.
If you or someone you love have been injured in a semi-truck accident, please contact the experienced semi-truck attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.
All to often trucking accidents involve drivers who are operating an eighteen wheeler on inadequate rest or are carrying a load that exceeds capacity regulations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is in the final stages of two related truck rules: to limit service to 10 consecutive hours and to require trucks to convert to electronic on-board recorders to keep tabs on the hours driven continuously. The Truck Safety Coalition is pushing for quick approval of the rules, while the trucking industry supports the on-board recorders but not changing the driving limits.
Joan Claybrook, a consumer activist, stated that ”every year about 4,000 people needlessly die on our highways and 100,000 more are injured in truck crashes.” “Families and truck drivers are being slaughtered on our highways because of the trucking industry’s relentless push for bigger, overweight trucks operated by drivers who are exhausted and pressured to meet unreasonable delivery deadlines.”
If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, you may be entitled to compensation. The attorneys at Strong-Garner-Bauer are experienced truck accident lawyers.
A 37-year-old male semi-truck driver has been charged after being involved in an accident that took the lives of three people.
The accident occurred on Highway 67 , north of Bonne Terre when a passenger car slowed down on the roadway and the semi-truck crashed into the back of it. The semi-truck pushed the vehicle several hundred feet off of the road.
There were three people in the car at the time, and one of them was four months pregnant. They were all killed as a result of the accident. The driver was charged with three counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter.
Our condolences are with the friends and family of the victims.
