A recent transportation industry article cites a statistic that is instantly sobering and dire. The publication Transport Topics states that “37,133 people died in auto crashes in 2017.”
That figure is eminently sad, of course. It is rendered even more tragic by the fact that many motor vehicle-linked fatalities in Indiana and nationally owe solely to the careless or otherwise indifferent driving of third parties. That is, legions of accidents occurring across the United States would not happen absent a motorist’s negligent behind-the-wheel behavior.
The above figure equates to 100-plus people losing their lives in auto crashes every single day of the year.
As the above-cited article stresses, the catalysts that spur that sad result are predictable and recurring. They range from speeding and drunk driving to motorists’ fatigue, driver distraction and additional factors.
Transport Topics’ piece spotlights particular subject matter that always spells an uppercase concern for Indiana motorists and other drivers nationally, namely, the big-truck sphere. That is an obvious safety focus in a roadway-safety article, given America’s vast trucking industry. We note the dimensions of that realm on a Tabor Law Firm website page addressing truck accidents. In doing so, we duly point to the “thousands of trucks sharing roads with hardworking Hoosiers.”
According to national safety regulators, fatal accidents involving big trucks are part of a “nuanced problem with no single solution.” Put another way, NHTSA officials are saying that, although roadway fatalities are inching downward over recent months, that positive news does not apply in the large-truck realm. Officials say that deaths in crashes involving those outsized vehicle actually spiked by 16% from 2016 to 2017.
Big trucks whizzing by on intrastate and interstate highways is an enduring reality in Indiana and nationally. And, although safety officials do their best to implement safety rules and enhancements aimed at curbing accidents, truck-linked crashes will continue to occur.
Attorneys at Tabor Law in Indianapolis provide knowledgeable and focused legal representation to accident victims and their families following injuries caused by third-party negligence. We welcome contacts to the firm to discuss our aggressive and on-point advocacy on behalf of valued clients.
