Improving Truck Driving Safety
In addition to playing a vital role in the economy of the United States, truck drivers have also begun to pose an increasing danger to themselves and other road users. This is the result of a variety of factors. Truck driver fatigue for example plays a major role in accidents involving trucks.
In response to the significance of this problem, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has legally instituted a regulation in 2003 to limit the hours that truckers spend on the road (Munley, Munley & Cartwright, 2009). The problem however remains that both personal, professional and political factors make it difficult for truck drivers to maintain a sensible cycle of work and sleep hours. Because of these factors, some truck drivers simply and knowingly ignore the regulations that are in place for their safety as well as the safety of others. Driver fatigue is still cited as the main factor in as many as 20-40% of accidents involving trucks (Munley, Munley & Cartwright, 2009).
Professionals such as Munley, Munley & Cartwright (2009), who specialize in the field of truck accidents and their causes, confirm the above finding. Their data indicate that truck drivers do indeed tend to ignore regulations to their own detriment and that of others.
Despite the facts, it is often difficult to investigate an issue where wrongdoing is often at the root of the problem. Truck companies may for example be unwilling to admit the significance of financial gain as a driver of truck drive fatigue. Truck drivers themselves could in turn not be entirely truthful about their own motivations for longer hours on the road. These limitations should be taken into account when conducting a study on the issue.
This does not however mean that the study of this problem should be abandoned. It is vitally important to investigate truck driver fatigue and its related problems in order to ensure better safety for all road users, as well as for this important employment sector in the country.
Munley, Munley & Cartwright (2009). Truck Driver Fatigue & Tractor Trailer Accidents. http://www.truckinjuries.com/truck-driver-fatigue.html
