In Pennsylvania, vehicle crashes are among the most common causes of injuries and death. Truck-car crashes are especially disastrous for the occupants of smaller vehicles.
A study on truck crashes indicated that safety features installed in large trucks could prevent thousands of injuries. But how do truck drivers feel about additional safety technology?
Study findings
In 2017, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a study, “Leveraging Large Truck Technology and Engineering to Realize Safety Gains,” that looked at the benefits of advanced safety features for large trucks. The findings indicated that using the latest safety technologies could potentially prevent as many as 63,000 truck-related collisions annually.
Four recommendations
The study cited four safety features specifically:
- Lane departure warning system to warn a driver when the truck is drifting out of its lane
- Air disc brakes for maintenance and performance advantages over traditional brakes
- Automatic emergency braking system, which detects a truck’s proximity to the vehicle in front of it and will apply automatic braking if needed
- Video-based safety monitoring system using cameras and other sensors to monitor driver performance and behavior
New technology distractions
In contrast to the possible benefits, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration found through their study that not all truck drivers embraced new safety features. Some drivers maintained that new technology could become a distraction and did not change their driving behavior when a crash avoidance system or an onboard safety monitoring system was available.
Common results
Some large trucks have the latest safety technologies, and some do not. Regardless, serious injuries in a truck-car crash are common. In Pennsylvania, a motorist injured because of another’s negligence is due compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages and more.