Heavy Truck Accidents May Increase
Our Atlanta truck accident lawyers see many cases in which heavy trucks such as tractor trailer and dump trucks, are involved in serious accidents. Statistics show that about 5,000 innocent people are killed every year and more than 100,000 are injured in crashes involving large trucks in the United States. Heavy trucks account for just 3 % of all registered vehicles on the roadways in the Uniteed States, but account for 9% of all fatal crashes.
Heavy trucks also cause damage to roads and bridges. According to transportation experts, one 80,000 pound tractor-trailer can inflict as much damage to road pavement as 9,600 cars.
Now the trucking and shipping industries are launching a campaign to allow heavier and longer trucks on highways. Currently pending in the United States Congress is a bill which would allow trucks up to 100,000 pounds in 6 states as part of a pilot program. Georgia is one of the states included in the proposed program.
Consumer advocate group Public Citizen is leading the effort to lobby Congress to prevent this dangerous practice. Even some truck drivers recognize this danger. The Teamsters union has expressed opposition to this bill citing the dangers.
