Our Chicago truck accident attorneys have long been concerned about the number of medically unqualified commercial drivers on the roads today, and the governments utter failure to correct the problem. Now, a recent analysis by News21 (a collegiate journalism group) looked at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Crash Statistics database, and found that… Read More
ATA Targets Unreasonable Trucking Accountability Rules
The Chicago trucking accident attorneys of Passen & Powell take a keen interest in the regulations, rules, and policies of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the agency largely responsible for regulating the trucking industry. So too, naturally, does the American Trucking Association, an organization devoted to representing the industry. Lately, there have been… Read More
Distracted Trucking: Major Highway Danger
Our Chicago truck accident attorneys have often explored the dangers of distracted driving. But distracted driving is not confined to the drivers of cars. It turns out that truckdrivers, who carry the awesome responsibility of driving machines capable of killing large numbers of people when mishandled, have been engaging in distracted driving, as well. This… Read More
Chicago’s I-94 One of the Top Ten Deadliest Highways in America
With the onset of the summer driving season, and the corresponding increase in crashes, data analysis website DailyBeast.com has now ranked the top 100 most dangerous interstates in the United States. The analysis was based on data from the National Highway Safety Administration, covering the more than 50,000 fatal accidents occurring in the summers of… Read More
Trucking Companies Placing Short-Term Savings Before Public Safety?
In light of the recent catastrophic tractor-trailer accident in Kentucky, our attorneys wanted to shed light on trucking safety generally. The Chicago Tribune recently published an article on how America’s major trucking companies are dealing with the pressures of the recession, and the corresponding decline in shipping. According to the report, the industry’s response to… Read More
Technology Causing Distracted Driver Accidents?
In 2010, distracted driving will remain a hot topic and rightly so. Technology has become an integral part of our every day lives and has transformed methods of transportation, such as automobiles, into remote offices. The problem that our Chicago car accident attorneys are beginning to see, however, is what happens when drivers become distracted… Read More
Pedestrian Killed After Being Struck By Semi-Trailer Truck, Police Crackdown
According to a Sun-Times breaking news story, a 59-year-old male pedestrian was killed after being struck by a semi-trailer truck on the northwest side in Chicago. The man was allegedly crossing the street at West Chicago and North Ashland avenue on Saturday night when he was fatally struck by an 18-wheeler semi-trailer truck. It is… Read More
NTSB Motor Vehicle Safety “Most Wanted List” Still Applicable in Illinois
As car accident lawyers and tractor-trailer attorneys in Chicago are acutely aware, transportation accidents continue to take a huge toll on our society not only in Illinois, but nationwide. In November 2008, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) created a Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements, many of which are designed to reduce the… Read More
Federal Drug Testing Requirements For Truck Drivers
A major cause of truck accidents in Illinois causing death or serious personal injury is the use of alcohol and controlled substances by truck drivers while operating their vehicles. Pursuant to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, certain commercial truck drivers are required to be tested for alcohol and drugs. In addition to… Read More
Proposed Bill To Require Electronic On-Board Recorders on All Trucks
As all top personal injury lawyers handling truck accident cases know, and as has been commented on in various other blog entries here, a deep understanding of the federal regulations governing interstate trucking is critical to any truck accident case. A new bill in Congress attempts to address driver fatigue, which is a common cause… Read More