Semi-Truck Accident Prevention Technologies 

While federal regulators and the semi-truck industry continue their ongoing debate about what causes serious trucking accidents, road fatalities are increasing and innocent families continue dying. According to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of large semi-truck crashes involving fatalities rose from 3,211 in 2009 to 3,802 in 2012, an increase of 18 percent. In that same study, there were over 77,000 accidents in 2012 that resulted in injuries, but not death, up from 53,000 in 2009, an increase of 45 percent. While a portion of these higher figures may be attributable to an increase in driven miles as the economy improved, these most recent statistics are still disturbing and paint a bleak picture of road safety in the future. In addition, the average age of large truck or semi-truck drivers is now over 50. Such fact will only increase risk of the number one reason for tractor-trailer accidents – driver fatigue. The American Trucking Association claims that it supports new technologies that “improve vehicle safety and driver performance” as long as the benefit is “proven, and there is a reasonable cost.” However, the ATA also asserts that the “NTSB often makes recommendations based on high-profile crashes, sometimes anomalies, not on the primary causes of truck crashes or what would be most the effective solutions for reducing the number of crashes.”

Here is the good news. To better combat the problem, there are several companies developing fatigue monitoring gear that is either already available or in the final stages of development. And with heavy-duty trucks now costing over $100,000, the addition of certain high-tech equipment will not add greatly to the overall costs of a new rig. As with previous new safety technology, trucking companies are often slow to adopt and incorporate into their fleets. For example, airbags are still not mandatory for big trucks. We are already seeing the benefits of crash-avoidance technology in cars that are already on the road in small numbers. In typical form, the better technologies start in high-end luxury cars and then become more standard as the costs decrease. Strangely, the large trucking companies fight the hardest against adding more safety features and devices despite posing the greatest risks to everyone’s safety on the road.

Below is a list of some of the newest innovative systems available for large trucks and their drivers:

Eyelid Monitoring

It sounds like something out of science fiction, but it is not. Cameras mounted in the cabin will monitor a driver’s eyelids and then sound a warning if they droop, thereby alerting the driver to danger. Delphi Automotive is developing just such a system called the Driver State Monitor that sounds an audible alarm when it senses the driver is blinking too quickly or moving his head like a person who is about to fall asleep. It is expected to become available sometime in 2016. Initially, the Transportation Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration took the position that eyelid devices were not ready for real-world use because some systems did not work at night. Additionally, it was unclear whether audible warnings would actually work with drivers. Delphi Automotive now claims it has solved the technical challenges that plagued earlier systems, and maintains its sensors work even if a driver is wearing sunglasses.

This technology was one of several innovations the federal government recommended adopting after a 2005 accident involving a semi-truck and a motor coach carrying a high-school marching band. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash and concluded that lack of proper sleep (driver fatigue) was the probable cause of the accident, which killed five people. Since that crash, more than 30,000 people in the U.S. have lost their lives in large-truck crashes. Proposals by various groups to require eyelid-monitoring devices, collision-avoidance systems and other life-saving innovations have been stalled during review at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The projected costs of such new technology can run from just $500 to $2,500, a small percentage increase given the overall price of new trucks. Of course, the savings from avoiding just one accident easily justifies the small investment in a single rig by trucking companies.

Automatic Brakes

Meritor WABCO, through a joint venture, has developed a crash avoidance system that uses radar to alert truck drivers of lane obstructions and pending collisions. This new technology actually applies brakes automatically when it detects an imminent crash and also adjusts cruise control to manage safe following distances between vehicles. Installation for a semi-truck will typically cost $2,000 to $2,500, or less than 3% of the total price of a new truck. However, according to a NHTSA-funded study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute conducted last year, this type of crash-avoidance technology could prevent as many as 300 fatalities a year and yield $3.1 billion in economic benefits.

Electronic Stability Control

While ESC technology has been available and in use in cars for years, NHTSA is just now in the final stages of finally requiring all large trucks to include electronic stability control. This system uses computer-controlled steering and braking to reduce rollovers during emergencies. As any semi-truck driver will tell you, loads can shift and a tractor-trailer can become unstable during hard braking or tight turns when another vehicle suddenly pulls out in front or changes lanes without looking first. These new systems for trucks cost of about $1,160 per vehicle, but it is estimated such requirement could save between 49 to 60 lives a year and prevent 649 to 858 injuries. You do not have to be an expert to recognize the incredible savings in both money and people.

Continuous Remote Data Feed

Trucking companies now have the capability and are able to equip their trucks with sensors that generate a continuous data feed sent directly to headquarters for real-time monitoring. Computers can detect and warn of certain troubling behaviors, such as drifting across lanes or swerving. Safety managers can then follow up by reviewing the video to determine if there was fatigue or distraction. SmartDrive Systems Inc. is a San Diego-based business that has sold its the camera-based technology to armored truck and other companies. With video documentation, there is no more guessing or lying. Pictures really do speak volumes. As a result, trucking companies are reporting significant improvements in driving safety from their drivers almost immediately. The cost of this technology is minimal. The SmartDrive system costs about $500 in equipment and a monthly monitoring fee of between $40-$50 per truck. The trucking industry will argue this low cost figure is misleading as it does not include the expense of round the clock monitoring by additional staff.

Federal Legislation or Truck Accident Prevention Litigation

With such great advances in safety readily available, one must wonder why such technology is not already being used or required. We all know the answer. Trucking companies are very powerful and spend untold sums to influence legislators and federal regulatory agencies. They consistently fight new regulations and challenge the costs of such new requirements. And, federal and state agencies are often slow in making new rules that may negatively affect the trucking industry. Sadly, it is only after innocent families on the road are seriously injured or killed that something is usually done on an industry-wide scale. For those individuals injured in a trucking accident and their loved ones who also suffer, it is a trial jury with their ability to impose a large verdict, and possibly even punitive damages, that can cause real change now. Until required by new laws or regulations, we just hope more responsible trucking companies will act on their own to save lives, even if their only motivation is to save money. Regardless, your family will be safer when on the road. Our experienced trucking accident trial attorneys stand ready to hold trucking companies accountable when they put profits before people and will help you and your family deal with the loss you have suffered. Call us now for information and options.  803-554-4157
(SC) or  704-351-7979
(NC)