November 13, 2013
In July 2012, the driver of a tractor-trailer failed to recognize four stopped vehicles along U.S. Highway 30 in Indiana. As a result, the trucker plowed into the vehicles, killing a four-year-old girl and leaving five other motorists injured. Investigators later determined the driver’s lack of rest was likely a contributing factor to the crash.
The Indianapolis Truck Accident Lawyers with Stewart & Stewart Attorneys explain that accidents like this have prompted the federal government to tighten the regulations regarding how many hours truck drivers can operate without rest. Experts say that while more regulations may help, a new and innovative way to track time spent on the road may prove to be more effective
According to an article from the Indiana News Center, truck drivers are required to maintain logbooks of their hours of operation. In the past, truck drivers have manually filled out logbooks, there has always been a margin for error and erroneous reporting. Now though, the hours a truck is driving can be automatically collected from computers installed in the truck itself and accessed via computer.
Experts say the new method of tracking driving time is more accurate and prompts drivers to reconsider if they are getting back to work too early.
Stewart & Stewart’s team of Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers are hopeful more technological advancements are developed in the future to help reduce semi truck accidents.