Item: Flaxman Law Group
Rating: 5
Author: Clara Barman

Highway and Freeway Truck Crashes

Published on: April 9, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Truck drivers transport their cargo on tight deadlines, and they often rely on highways and freeways in order to get their cargo to their destination faster. While freeways may be filled with trucks every day, freeways pose a special danger for trucking collisions in Homestead and other communities.

Freeways in Hollywood, Miami, and surrounding areas tend to be busy, especially during rush hour. They also tend to have higher speed limits than city streets. Together, this can create a dangerous combination in the event of a trucking accident. When a tracking accident occurs on a freeway, it is more likely that there will be other cars around the vehicle. This can easily lead to a pileup or multiple vehicle crash. In addition, the high speeds on these roadways can mean that the force of the impact is much greater, potentially leading to rollovers and other serious accidents that can crush smaller vehicles or cause serious injuries and even fatalities.

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Technology and the Trucking Industry

Published on: March 31, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

The trucking industry uses more technology than ever before. Technology helps truckers avoid traffic collisions in Homestead and other cities and helps save money on fuel. There are many types of technology that truckers and truck carriers rely on, including:

1) GPS.

Ubiquitous in regular cars and trucks, GPS allows truck drivers and delivery drivers to find their destinations, even in unfamiliar areas. The technology also means less time spent looking at maps and more time focusing on the road.

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Emergency Trucks in Miami Beach and Florida

Published on: February 19, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars save lives. When they are rushing by to get to an emergency, other motorists are required to get out of the way. When emergency vehicles with lights flashing are parked on the side of the road to assist others, drivers are expected to leave plenty of room and to slow down to prevent hitting emergency crews or their vehicles.

Despite these rules, many truck accidents and broadside crashes in Miami Beach and surrounding areas each year involve emergency vehicles. Some motorists refuse to yield to emergency trucks while in other instances the speed traveled by emergency vehicles causes a collision. There are ways to prevent these roadway collisions, fortunately:

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Truckers From Mexico May Soon be Approved to Drive on American Roads

Published on: January 27, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

The Department of Transportation recently announced that soon trucking companies in Mexico will be able to seek authority to conduct cross-border and long-haul operations in the United States. Many assumed that truck drivers from Mexico would be allowed into the country after 1995 as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but concerns about safety have limited operations for Mexican carriers in this country. Will the move create more truck accidents in Miami and other communities or have no impact on safety?

Opposition to the New Plan

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the Teamsters, and other groups oppose the move, saying that safety concerns remain. There are also concerns that allowing the companies into the United States could hurt the domestic job market.

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Tow Truck Collisions in Homestead and Florida

Published on: January 22, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Tow trucks are there to help you if your car breaks down or if you have been in an accident. However, in some cases these trucks can also cause a collision or can become involved in a crash. The reality is that tow truck drivers have a dangerous job and many sustain on-the-job injuries in Homestead and other communities each year.

There are many ways that a simple tow can go wrong:

1) A tow truck driver can be injured while attempting to help a customer.

One of the reasons why tow truck drivers face such dangers on the job is that they are often called into high-risk situations. They may need to drive out in bad weather or poor visibility to deal with weather-related issues or may be asked to clean up after an accident. While they are pulled over on the side of the road and walking to and from their truck to help others, tow truck drivers are vulnerable to other drivers on the road. If motorists do not slow down when they see a tow truck with its flashing lights, they can easily crash into the tow truck or driver. Each year, serious injuries and fatalities result from this type of negligence.

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How do Dangerous Trucks Cause Accidents on Hollywood and Florida Roads?

Published on: January 20, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

There are many rules designed to keep unsafe trucks off the roads. Despite that, about 25% of the 14,000 truck-related fatalities that have occurred between 2009 and 2014 in this country have involved a truck that had safety violations on their record.

Trucks are Becoming Safer

Trucks are in fact becoming safer, in part due to improved technology. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, large trucks have a fatal accident rate of 1.42 crashes per 100 million miles driven. For these vehicles, the rate of fatal crashes declined by half in the 1994-2010 period. Safety experts say that improved training and improved truck safety has resulted in the lower rates.

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Stay Safer Around Trucks at This Time of Year

Published on: December 4, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Additional motorists during this time of year can lead to dangerous situations, especially since many of the additional drivers on the roads during the holiday season are big rigs and tractor trailers making deliveries to customers and stores. These larger vehicles have more blind spots and some passenger car drivers may not be used to driving around larger trucks, making for a potentially hazardous combination.

To stay safe when sharing the road with commercial trucks, make sure that you:

1) Obey the speed limit.

Speeding can increase your chances of an accident by making it harder for you to stop in time to avoid a crash. If you are in a collision, speed can make your accident much worse and can lead to more serious injuries by increasing the impact of the crash.

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CNBC Trucking Industry Investigation Highlights Some Causes of Trucking Accidents

Published on: August 27, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

As trucking collisions continue to happen in Homestead and across the country, many people ask why the numbers of these crashes is not dropping. Recently, one station, CNBC, aired an investigative report about the state of the trucking industry. According to the report and the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA), the number of fatal trucking accidents across the country increased close to 18% between 2009 and 2012, despite an increased focus on driving safety. According to investigative reporters, there are a few key reasons why big rig and tractor trailer collisions continue to occur:

1) Repeat offenders.

Federal safety rules and policies are meant to prevent traffic accidents in Hollywood and across the country, but enforcing those rules and getting unsafe trucks and drivers off the roads is more difficult than many realize. According to the CNBC investigation, about 20% of trucks inspected in 2012 were not safe to be on the roads due to out-of-service violations such as bad tires. That amounts to more than 2 million potential unsafe trucks on the roads. In addition, about 5% of drivers inspected had violations that could have prevented them from driving. That amounts to about 171,000 unsafe drivers on the roads.

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If Your Teen is Moving to College This Year, Practice Moving Truck Safety

Published on: August 7, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

If you have a recent high school grad in your household moving on to college this year, you may be making plans to help your child move into their dorm room or college apartment. Unfortunately, moving truck accidents in Miami and other cities can easily happen during a move to college. To help prevent this from happening to your family, follow these simple tips:

1) Consider hiring professional movers rather than renting a moving truck.

Renting a truck may seem like a budget friendly option, but do-it-yourself moving does come with certain risks. Investigative reports have found that some moving truck rental companies do not maintain their fleets in a responsible manner. In addition, someone who is experienced with driving a passenger car may find the added blind spots and added size of a large truck overwhelming. You may increase your chances of being in a traffic accident in Miami or at your destination by driving a truck that you are not used to.

2) Keep moving costs low by combining moves.

Many people choose to rent a moving truck rather than hire movers because of cost concerns. If this is true for you, you may be able to afford movers by keeping your costs low. For example, have your child take only the absolute minimum when they move – this should be easy since most dorm rooms only have limited space for possessions anyway. In addition, if two or three students are moving to the same college, they can pool their possessions and use one moving company together to enjoy a discount.

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Will Florida’s New Law Reduce the Risk of Waste Truck Collisions?

Published on: July 15, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Waste truck collisions in Miami, Homestead, and other Florida cities are a cause for concern. Although often low-speed crashes, these accidents pose a high risk for injury, since waste trucks are so heavy and large. These collisions especially tend to affect pedestrians who may be trying to get around the truck. In many cases, motorists and pedestrians may not notice the frequent stops waste trucks make.

Last month, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed House Bill 7005 into law. The transportation bill includes rules that will hopefully help prevent recycling and waste truck collisions. One part of the bill includes waste and recycling trucks in the state’s “Move Over Act.” The “Move Over Act” has been in Florida for some time and requires drivers to move over one lane or slow down to 20 mph under the posted speed limit when approaching a tow truck or emergency vehicle. The law was aimed at reducing pedestrian accidents in Miami and other cities caused by drivers passing too close to emergency workers and tow truck drivers who were assisting people on the side of the road. Thanks to the passage of House Bill 7005 into law, recycling and waste trucks will now be included, potentially preventing Florida and Miami roadway collisions involving recycling and sanitation workers.

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NW&RA) has praised the new law and has also continued its own efforts to pass “Slow Down to Get Around” laws in other states. The organization also has a “Slow Down to Get Around” campaign to alert drivers of the importance of slowing down and driving with more caution when driving near or around sanitation trucks. The campaign is meant to help reduce traffic accidents as well as sanitation worker workplace accidents in Miami and other cities.

Safety experts and the National Waste & Recycling Association (NW&RA) have a few tips for drivers to help them avoid car collisions in Miami and other cities:

1) Keep in mind that waste and recycling collection trucks make frequent stops and have larger blind spots. Driving near these vehicles is not like driving near other cars – or even near commercial trucks. Drivers need to be more alert and prepared to stop.

2) Be aware of pedestrian traffic around sanitation trucks. Workers need to move from the truck to the sidewalk to pick up recyclables and other items. This makes them vulnerable to collisions. When you see a sanitation truck stopped or parked, keep alert for any workers in the area.

3) On your own waste and recycling collection day, use extra caution when leaving your driveway for work. When backing up, make sure that there are no city workers in your blind spots. On collection day, place your recycling and any other items for pick-up at the appropriate place on the curb.

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