In Fulton County, just as in the rest of the state of Georgia, federal and state regulations govern the trucking industry. Georgia laws specific to the trucking industry include certain roadways from Alpharetta to Peachtree City where truck traffic is restricted. In 2007, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported in the Large Truck Crash Overview that 12% of the people who died in car accidents were involved in a crash with a large truck.
Not surprisingly, safety issues have led to the promulgation of many trucking regulations. For example, truck drivers must not drive when they are over-tired. We all know how our own driving ability declines when we are tired, the same is true of truck
drivers. The difference is that truckers' livelihoods rely on the delivery of goods and the quicker they can deliver one load the sooner they can pick up another.
Accordingly, one of the most important laws, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Rule 395.3, regulates the number of hours a driver may be on the road before taking a required break. By law, a tractor trailer driver may not drive more than eleven cumulative hours and must have a 10 hour break before he returns to the road.
In 38% of fatal crashes involving tractor trailers and cars, the cause of the accident was driver-related. And to be fair, 67% of motor vehicle drivers involved in fatal accidents with other automobiles were caused by the same type of driver-related factors such as inattention, speed, and failure to yield right of way. So to be safe, we all need to slow down, avoid driver fatigue, and leave plenty of room for the big rigs to maneuver safely on the highways.
Resources:
Atlanta Trucking Accidents: How Should It Affect the Way You Drive?
Georgia Department of Public Safety Motor Carrier Compliance Division
Photo Credited to DawnAllynn/stock.xchng
