Poorly Maintained Trucks in South Carolina Endangering Motorists

Throughout Anderson, Rock Hill, Sumter, Georgetown, Columbia, and the rest of South Carolina, it is common to see trucks on the roads. Many of these trucks have responsible drivers who share the road safely with motorists.  Some, however, are ticking time bombs. Trucks may become very dangerous when they have irresponsible drivers behind the wheel who do not follow safety precautions and exercise reasonable care. Trucks can also be a menace to motorists if the big rigs are not properly maintained and if there is a problem with any of their parts.

A truck accident lawyer knows that faulty brakes, bad tires and other broken car parts can cause a truck driver to lose control of his vehicle or be unable to stop.  Serious and even deadly crashes can result.  There are safety rules designed to prevent trucks from being on the road if they are not in good condition, but a recent article in the Post Gazette suggests that these rules are not being effectively enforced. Motorists are in serious jeopardy if truck drivers and trucking companies are not held accountable and made to ensure that no truck is on the road unless it can pass all safety regulations.

Collisions Can Occur Due to Poor Truck Maintenance 

Between 2009 and 2013, approximately 390,000 motor vehicle accidents occurred in which big rigs or tractor trailers were involved.  Since 2009, a total of 14,000 people have been killed in crashes involving these large trucks. Around 25 percent of the deadly truck crashes involve a truck that has a past history of citations for violations of safety rules.

Some safety rules and regulations are set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Others are established on a local level. There is little or no uniformity across the United States when it comes to local rules for trucking maintenance and truck safety. This is a problem because trucks often do not stay within their own state only but instead travel across the country.

There is also a lack of uniformity in enforcement of safety rules across state lines.  Some states take a much stricter approach to inspecting big rigs than others.  When big rigs are inspected, around one out of every six is determined to be in violation of at least some safety regulations.

The types of safety violations that truckers are cited for include:

• Failing to comply with local laws. A total of 1,834,850 citations were issued for this.
• Violations of rules regarding headlights and signals. A total of 1,466,874 citations were issued for this.
• Broken signals or broken headlights. A total of 1,381,950 citations were issued for this.
• Other broken parts of the big rig or tractor trailer. A total of 1,152,071 citations were issued for this.
• Tire tread that is too low. A total of 1,138,237 citations were issued for this.

A new federal scoring system called Compliance, Safety, Accountability recently launched to draw attention to this issue. This is not likely to be that effective because there are no actual federal enforcement programs in place to ensure truckers follow safety rules. Some argue that this issue is best left up to the states, but there are serious questions to be raised regarding whether any government authority can ensure that trucks aren’t driving when they aren’t roadworthy. Trucking companies and drivers are in the best position to know when there is a problem, and they should commit to do the right thing and allow only safe trucks on the roads.

Columbia South Carolina car accident victims should contact McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC at 803-327-7800 or visit www.mcgowanhood.com for a free case consultation. Also serving Anderson, SC, Rock Hill, SC, Sumter, SC, and Georgetown, SC, and surrounding areas.