Results for Brake Safety Week Reveal Alarming Number of Dangerous Trucks on American Roads

On January 5, 2015, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced the results of the annual Brake Safety Week, which occurred from September 7-13, 2014. The results are frightening. The event involved the inspection on the brake systems of over 13,305 commercial trucks and buses throughout North America. The overall rate for brake-related violations was 16.2.

The overall number was aided by a lower rate of violations in Canada. In the United States, 16.6 percent of the inspected vehicles had brake violations. Overall, 10.4 percent of the vehicles inspected were placed out of service.

As a truck accident attorney, I have seen firsthand the damage and pain that unsafe trucks can inflict on families. The report shows that commercial carriers need to do a better job putting safe vehicles on the road. It also highlights the importance of seeking help if you have been involved in a trucking accident. An experienced attorney will know what to do to evaluate whether bad brakes may have caused or contributed to a collision. Because time is ticking after a wreck, it is important that for an attorney representing an injury victim to contact the trucking company, demand that the truck be preserved in the condition it was prior to and immediately after the wreck, and to arrange for a competent expert to perform a mechanical inspection of the truck.

As the results for this year’s Brake Safety Week demonstrate, there is a good chance that a truck involved in an accident may have had unsafe brakes. And until the statistics improve, the only thing the public can do is make sure that those who put unsafe trucks on the road are held responsible when tragedies occur.