Some New Jersey truck drivers might have been among those whose vehicles were inspected on May 3 during an unannounced Brake Safety Day conducted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. The inspections took place in 10 Canadian provinces and 33 states, and more than 9,500 inspections occurred. Almost 2,000 trucks were taken out of service, and more than 1,100 of those were for brake violations.
The CVSA said that in addition to getting trucks that had critical violations off the road, they also hoped to check the maintenance of antilock brake systems. Of the more than 4,600 trucks that were required by law to have ABS, 391 of them had violations.
The CVSA said that roadside inspections found brake violations were the largest percentage of out-of-service violations. Another Brake Safety Day event in North America was announced in June and will be on Sept. 7.
Brake failure may be one cause of a tractor-trailer accident. Whether it is driver error or equipment failure that causes the accident, the result can be catastrophic injuries as well as substantial expenses. If the truck driver, the trucking company or another party is at fault in the accident, the insurance company may be responsible for paying for the expenses. However, if the insurance company does not do so, the compensation offer is insufficient or there is a dispute about who is at fault in the accident, the injured person might want to file a lawsuit. Another danger in an accident like this is that some types of injuries, such as brain injuries, may initially appear to be less serious than they are. People who are injured in such an accident might want to speak to an attorney about their rights.
