Congressional Members Tell Federal Regulators They Should Do More To Keep Medically Unfit Commercial Truck And Bus Drivers Off Roads
Congressional leaders in Washington DC berated federal regulators today for not implementing recommendations that the National Transportation Safety Board made in 2001 to keep medically unfit truckers off the roads. According to a recent safety study, reported on by the Associated Press, there are hundreds of thousands of commercial truck and bus drivers working even though they qualify for full federal disability payments.
Commercial drivers that have seizures, blackouts, heart attacks, and other health emergencies while driving are a leading cause of catastrophic truck accidents in the United States. Thousands of motorists and pedestrians have been injured or killed because a bus driver or the driver of an 18-wheeler truck, a tractor-trailer, a semi-truck, or a big rig truck became ill or unconscious while driving.
Among its recommendations, the NTSB suggested that a system be set up to trace medical certificate applications and stop drivers from doctor shopping. The NTSB also suggested that examiners who certify commercial drivers be properly trained to determine whether a trucker or bus driver was medically fit.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has found that it is not difficult to fabricate medical certificates stating that a driver is medically fit to drive professionally. Of the 614 medical certificates it examined, the committee found that they could verify only 407 of them.
Truck accidents can lead to catastrophic injury accidents for victims. The force of impact of a large truck or bus striking a pedestrian or the passengers of a compact car can lead to serious injuries, such as severed limbs, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and massive internal injuries, or death for the victims.
Trucking companies are experienced in dealing with injury claims against them, which is why it is important that you speak with an experienced Louisville, Kentucky truck crash law firm to explore your legal options.
Regulators scolded on medically unfit truckers, Associated Press, July 24, 2008
Medically unfit truckers still on the road, safety study shows, CNN.com, July 21, 2008
Contact Steve Frederick, Kentucky Injury Attorney today.
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