Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, & Appleton

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found 77 commercial bus and truck drivers, along with 84 carriers, failed drug and alcohol tests administered by a new task force.

The testing focused on commercial drivers who operate school buses, interstate passenger carriers, hazardous material transports and general freight long-haul trucks, according to Automotive-fleet.com.

Every year roughly 85,000 truckers nationwide test positive for drugs and/or alcohol, according to dallasnews.com. Even more shocking is the fact that, once a trucker tests positive, chances are good they do not go into treatment or complete follow-up tests. In fact, less than half of the 85,000 truckers complied with the treatment/re-testing requirements after testing positive for drugs or alcohol.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found 75 percent of drug-testing sites frequented by individuals vying for a trucking license “failed to restrict access to items that could be used to adulterate or dilute the [urine] specimen, meaning that running water, soap, or air freshener was available in the bathroom during the test,” according to MSNBC.com.

As all this goes on, there were over 123,000 truck accidents in the United States last year.

I hope this FMCSA task force continues their testing and roots out habitual drug and alcohol abusers. Though, there appears to be much more work needed in terms of enforcing those positive drug tests and rehabilitating abusers.

This is a public safety issue. Drug and alcohol abusers who fail to stop their reckless behavior have no place operating massive freight trucks or school buses.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have experience handling truck accident cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) although our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

PA

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In many of these devices we’re talking about mobile phones that allow you to text and use Twitter which has been documented to distract drivers. There is plenty of evdience showing this to be true even if they are hands-free. The argument is that the drivers of these large commercial vehicles are taking their mind away from what is on the road which can greatly reduce reaction time.

In a legal petition already filed by attorneys representing AHAS, they are requesting that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) officially assess the real risks involved with using electronic communication devices. This safety group has left no stone unturned. The list of electronic gadgets that AHAS would like to see investigated on is the CB radio—the trusty old standby short-distance radio used by truckers for decades to talk with each other.

It is believed that approximately 5,000 people die every year in truck-related accidents. In addition, another 100,000 suffer from serious injuries. The group is also attempting to add further credibility to their argument by using scientific studies that have been produced in recent years pointing out that chatting and texting on cell phones are key potential factors behind many accidents involving large commercial vehicles such as tractor trailers.

Among thes various studies includes research conducted within this last year at Virginia Tech that ostensibly found texting truckers are 23 times as likely to be involved in an auto accident. In a very similar study held in 2006 it was concluded that truck drivers chatting on mobile phones had driven through stop signs without stopping 10 times more frequently than those not otherwise distracted by a cell device.

Documentation provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost one quarter of all reported auto accidents—which includes both private and commercial drivers— involve some form of “distracted driving”. Although the AHAS’s petition has been delivered to federal officials, they are under no legal constraint to respond by any deadlines and could very well take their time in examining the case.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling truck accidents. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our law firm has offices in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). . Our attorneys have handled thousands of automobile negligence cases involving trucks, cars, trains, and motorcycles. Our lawyers hold licenses in NC, VA, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube .  In addition, our lawyers proudly edit the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard, as well as the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

BM

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