Brake safety campaign kicking off in September

Texas readers may be interested in knowing that the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will be kicking off “Brake Safety Week” in mid-September. During this initiative, technicians will perform roadside inspections on the brake systems of commercial trucks across North America.

“Brake Safety Week” is a follow-up to CVSA’s International Roadcheck, which was held June 5-7. Just over 67,500 roadside inspections were held during that campaign. Of those, 45,400 were Level I inspections, which are the most detailed inspections CVSA technicians perform. Nearly 22 percent of all trucks that underwent Level I inspections were pulled from service while nearly 4 percent of drivers who underwent Level I, II or II inspections were taken off the road. In total, 11,897 trucks and buses and 2,664 drivers were pulled from service during the initiative.

The focus of the 2018 Roadcheck was driver hours-of-service violations, and 43.7 percent of all sidelined drivers were pulled for being on the road too long. The other top out-of-service violations for drivers were having the wrong class of license and a false record of duty status. Out of all the trucks that were pulled from service, 28.4 percent were sidelined for brake system violations, 19.1 percent were removed for tire and wheel problems and 16.3 percent were pulled for brake adjustment issues.

Each year, poorly maintained trucks cause thousands of car accidents across the U.S. These crashes frequently cause serious injuries and fatalities. However, a personal injury attorney could help victims of truck crashes obtain a financial settlement for their losses, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and more. A lawyer could also help the families of deceased victims obtain compensation for funeral and burial costs and loss of income and companionship.