Next week, September 6-12, has been designated Brake Safety Week by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is an agency in the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is also partnering in the national campaign. As part of the outreach, inspectors across the country will inspect brake systems on trucks and buses.
Readers may not realize that improperly functioning brake systems may actually be a significant safety issue, accounting for 46.2 percent of roadside out-of-service violations in 2014. When brakes are not operating up to their specifications, a vehicle’s stopping distance can be seriously compromised. Needless to say, inadequate brakes in a semi or large truck could be disastrous, possibly contributing to a multi-vehicle pileup.
Last year, over 13,000 braking systems were inspected during Brake Safety Week. Yet braking safety should not be relegated to only one week out of the year. Routine inspections should be a responsibility of every driver, whether he or she has a Class C or a commercial driver’s license. Considering the citations issued in 2014, however, there may be cause for concern.
Proper vehicle maintenance is just one of the many avenues of inquiry that our personal injury law firm will investigate on behalf of an individual injured in a car or truck accident. As a firm that focuses on car and truck accidents, we also understand the need to present compelling visual evidence to jurors. For that reason, we use presentation methods such as “Sanction” or “CaseMap” to weave evidence we have uncovered into a persuasive narrative of illustrations, photographs, timelines and/or graphs. A visual approach may also help illustrate the full extent of a crash victim’s injuries and justify his or her requested compensation for losses, pain and suffering. Check out our firm’s website to learn more about how our trial attorneys approach a car accident claim.
Source: Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, “Brake Safety Week: September 6-12, 2015,” copyright 2015, CVSA
