The Truck Safety Coalition has released data showing the number of fatal truck crashes by state. Tennessee had 156 fatal crashes in 2005 and 717 in the five-year period from 2001-2005. By comparison, Alabama had 122 fatal crashes in 2005 (706 in five-years), Kentucky had 124 (596), Arkansas had 116…
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a verdict in a case where a bus driver was attacked by a knife-wielding passenger, resulting a bus crash that resulted in several injuries and the death of the bus driver. A trial resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff passenger. First,…
The New York Times did a great piece on the regulation of the trucking industry yesterday. One blurb: "In loosening the standards [applicable to the trucking industry], the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was fulfilling President Bush’s broader pledge to free industry of what it considered cumbersome rules. In the…
Side airbags work. That is the conclusion of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. A recent study reports that "Side airbags that protect people’s heads are reducing driver deaths in cars struck on the near (driver) side by an estimated 37 percent. Airbags that protect only the chest and abdomen…
The American Trucking Associations has petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to limit the maximum speed of large trucks at the time of manufacture to no more than 68 miles per hour. ATA also petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to prohibit the tampering or adjustment of the…
Everyone knows that auto death rates are decreasing. But why? This study tells us that the reason is safer autos. Issued by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the study says that "an increasingly dangerous traffic environment has been offset since 1994 only because people are driving vehicles that are…
A recent study reports about the risk of lack of sleep on commercial drivers. In an article entitled "Impaired Performance in Commercial Drivers: Role of Sleep Apnea and Short Sleep Duration" researchers from the University of Pennsylvania "examined 406 truck drivers and found that those who routinely slept less than…
Motorists Beware! A new study reports that 21% of drivers in Tennessee are uninsured. Read about the study here. I would love to know what percentage of the drivers that have insurance have only the minimum limits ($25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident). Use this information to educate your clients…
Allstate is notorious for its hardball approach to handling claims. Now, Business Week Online tells about a new book “From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves” that will reveal the role that the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. played in changing the business practices of Allstate. An excerpt from the article:…
The FMCSA has a new study out that “[d]rivers of large trucks and other vehicles involved in truck crashes are ten times more likely to be the cause of the crash than other factors, such as weather, road conditions, and vehicle performance ….” A quick summary from the press release:…