Truck Safety is Getting Worse. Congress Isn’t Helping (Shock).

In this boisterous election year, it can be easy to forget that beyond the rhetoric and rallies, the people we elect to office enact – or fail to enact -laws and policies that can have a big impact on our lives.

When it comes to the safety of our nation’s highways, our elected officials in Congress appear to be caving to trucking industry lobbyists in loosening key tractor-trailer safety rules that could prevent injuries and save lives.

An insightful, detailed, and compelling recent article on The Huffington Post contrasts the increasing number of deaths and injuries from trucking accidents with the decreasing power of safety regulations designed to reduce those numbers. As the article puts it, while the number of deaths from big-rig accidents have risen:

“Congress has been caving, very quietly, to lobbying from trucking interests that want to roll back, block or modify at least a half-dozen important safety regulations. Significant parts of the hauling industry have long opposed many of the federal rules governing working hours, rest periods, size and weight limits, and safety standards.”

The article discusses the multiple ways safety is being compromised and tells tragic stories about the real world impact that trucking accidents cause. If you want to know how what happens in Washington affects what happens when you hit the road, I recommend reading it.

At The Parian Law Firm in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have extensive experience helping individuals and families who are living in the aftermath of a big-rig accident. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a trucking accident, please give us a call at (770) 727-5550 or chat live online with a member of our staff today.