The existence of automatic braking systems that employ lasers and other technology to signal a truck driver of stopped or slowing vehicles up ahead, has prompted the federal government to consider requiring their installation in all trucks. According to government investigations into the causes of a typical 18-wheeler accident, 64 percent of them involved a frontal collision as the truck crashed into another vehicle.
The automatic systems apply the brakes to slow or stop a truck in the event the driver does not do so after being signaled of a crash risk up ahead. Truck accident statistics show that vehicles now equipped with the technology have experienced up to an 80 percent decline in the number of rear-end collisions.
If the federal trucking regulations go into effect, the braking systems would join other automated technology that already exists in many vehicles already on the road. These systems include:
- Those designed to maintain vehicle stability
- Adaptive cruise control
- Sensors that warn when drivers when a truck drifts from its travel lane
Even with the availability of the most advanced technology, the risks to other motorists and pedestrians posed by a drunk truck driver or by a distracted driver remain high. If you have suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision or other type of truck accident, you might be eligible to receive compensation driver or trucking company whose negligence caused the injuries. A Macon, Georgia, personal injury could be of assistance in advising you of your rights.
Source: Fortune, “Why trucks are one step closer to automatic brakes,” David Z. Morris, Oct 27, 2015
