Brake Safety Week Targets Commercial Vehicles for Brake Inspections
Brake safety is of paramount importance for any vehicle, but it is even more critical on large commercial vehicles, such as tractor-trailers and semi-trucks. Each year, law enforcement and federal roadway safety bodies spend a week focusing on brake safety among commercial vehicles, and this year, Brake Safety Week is being held from September 11 to September 17.
Spearheading Brake Safety week is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), alongside the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). This nonprofit is a conglomeration of law enforcement and regulatory agencies focusing on commercial vehicle safety. Each year, the CVSA and FMCSA launch the Brake Safety Week, looking for worn linings, pads, drums, or rotors as well as loose or missing parts, hydraulic fluid leaks, and other faulty or missing components in the brake systems of thousands of commercial vehicles. When law enforcement finds a vehicle with brakes in poor condition, that vehicle is taken out of service.
The ability of large trucks to properly brake can have a huge impact on roadway safety. “[Commercial motor vehicle] brakes are designed to hold up under tough conditions, but they must be routinely inspected and maintained carefully and consistently so they operate and perform properly throughout the vehicle’s life,” according to the CVSA. “Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency and increase the stopping distance of trucks and buses, posing serious risks to driver and public safety.”
Large trucks such as tractor-trailers and semi-trucks can weigh 20 to 30 times as much as a passenger vehicle. Under ideal circumstances, tractor-trailers take 20 to 40% farther to come to a stop than do passenger vehicles, and when precipitation or other poor roadway conditions come into play, that braking time can grow even more. Should brakes on these large vehicles fall into disrepair, trucks can become a serious safety hazard. During last year’s Brake Safety Week, law enforcement conducted inspections of brake systems on over 18,800 vehicles. Over 12%, or 2,300, of the vehicles inspected were taken out of service as a result of these inspections.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a large truck, semi or tractor-trailer accident in New York, contact the knowledgeable and compassionate Hudson Valley truck accident lawyers at Rusk, Wadlin, Heppner & Martuscello, LLP for a consultation on your possible truck accident lawsuit, at 845-331-4100 (Kingston), or 845-236-4411 (Marlboro).
