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| article.wn.com |
1/3/2013 It seems that just about every day while we are out driving we come upon an accident somewhere or another. At the same time, we are thankful that the accident did not happen to us. In the world of trucking, it seems we are seeing more and more rear end accidents that look as if the driver of the vehicle did not apply the brakes in time or not at all.
You see these big trucks taking out a guard-rail and going over embankments just to keep from hitting other vehicles. You see trucking accidents where a vehicle goes thru the stop light or a stop sign and into a building or another vehicle. Or you see an accident where a tractor hits another vehicle in the rear end with no skid marks showing that the driver tried to stop. These accidents listed above can cause fatalities or very serious injuries. In some cases, a next of kin is advised that their loved one will not be coming home ever again. As we turn on our computer, our tv, or open a newspaper, more and more we read about or see see another accident were a bus or semi-truck just could not or did not stop in time to avoid an accident.
In 2012, two of the top semi-truck accidents reported happened because the semi-truck involved was going down a steep hill and could not stop. In another accident account, a semi-truck crossed the road and turned over inside of a gas station on top of the pumps. In yet another incident, a driver did everything he could to keep from hitting someone as he came down a hill, went into a shopping mall parking lot and traveled through the lot hitting a tree, only to end up in a river. Also in 2012, a bus was coming back from a casino and turned over and caused one of the deadliest bus accidents in New York State history. Could there be a reason for these drivers’ nightmare runs that sound as if they were written into a Hollywood script?
In most of these accidents the drivers of the buses or semi-trucks had to use their brakes long before an accident occurred. So you ask yourself, why are the brakes not working on these trucks or is the driver even applying the brakes at all? Was this driver not paying attention?
The FMCSA says that one of the most common causes of accidents is driver fatigue, but, was it driver failure or was the driver not paying attention to what was going on at the time of the accident? Maybe it was an undiscovered brake problem! Most of the time a trucks black box recorder will tell that the driver never applied the brakes at all or until it was too late to avoid the accident.
Did you know that the driver of commercial vehicles can still be charged with an accident even if the driver died in the crash? If they do convict the driver of being at fault then damages awarded by the court can bankrupt the driver’s family and carrier. That family can find themselves living on the street. A driver that lives through the accident can be cited and charged, then lose his license for 5 years or more if found guilty in any way. If there is a faulty part that caused the accident or if someone is seriously injured or killed the driver can go to prison or do jail time until the trial date.
Most of the time, a prosecuting attorney in these cases will make a drivers bond so high they cannot even be released on bail . Also, in most cases a driver will have to find another way to support their family while the accident investigation is going on which will be until after the trial ends and that could take a year or longer. This is a bad situation for everyone involved.
Wait, can there be another reason for this accident?
Even though commercial drivers are always guilty until proven innocent in cases such as this, let’s not blame the driver just yet, until we look at all the evidence. There could be an answer for some of these drivers’ nightmares. Commercial driver, Allen Trucker has done years of investigating on his own after a case of brake failure in an accident he was involved in. Allen is concerned about brake parts called the AIR CONTROL FOOT VALVE and the TREADLE VALVE. Since Allen’s investigation, there has been over 40 recalls from NHTSA on these parts. Allen found that through the years, there were several accident reports that have given the treadle valve as the cause of many accidents. In 2012 Allen Trucker brought that and other evidence to the attention of CVSA and they entered this deadly account information into the FMCSA DOT inspection orders.
What was discovered is that the treadle valve can work at one moment, and the next time it is used, will not work at all. It goes without saying that this small part failure will be the cause of many more accidents, and in the past, it could have been the cause of many others that went undiscovered. Now this treadle issue has been written about in major industry magazines and an inspection bulletin has been sent out by the CVSA. The problem is however, these brake failures and the accidents they cause continue to increase. Allen states that without a doubt these parts are all under designed and that the majority will fail several times before they are replaced.
This is a call to safety managers and carriers to make themselves and their repair facilities aware of just how important these valve problems really are. This should be done before someone in your organization is involved in a serious accident causing serious injuries or deaths. If you would like to receive more information about the Treadle Valve failures please contact me at rgooch1969@aol.com. I will also be happy to connect you with Allen Trucker should you want additional information about these parts or his investigation.
http://blog.bigtrucktv.com/rickeygooch/important-information-drivers-nightmare-run
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