The tremendous sound and the Toyota 4 Runner flying across the air were the two signals that a tragedy had happened at the Marine Drive in West Vancouver. A truck traveling at a very high speed crashed into a Toyota. This resulted in the death of a retired man Bjorn Bjornson and both drivers and a pedestrian were taken to the hospital. The electricity of West Vancouver was cut off.
High speed and bad brakes were the main factors of this accident reported in the North Shore News. Unfortunately, this is usual among the daily news of the country. A report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Research says that only in 2003 there were almost 5,000 heavy trucks involved in fatal crashes.
Although safety is one of the most discussed topics in the transportation business, driving schools and the government, these sorts of crashes have been an unavoidable part of the trucking history. According to the analysis of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) the highest rates of fatalities were during the 70s and 80's. Even though these numbers have lowered since 1995, the average of the crashes still maintains its fatal characteristic.
The Research made by the FMCSA revealed that 68% of the fatalities were in rural roads, 34% of them were at night and 84% were on weekdays. This brings down the stereotypes of the crash situations.
FMCSA also discloses the profile of the actors of the truck crashes. Contrary to public belief, more than 70% of the accidents are between a truck and a car. The rollovers and the impact with pedestrians just make 6% of the total crashes. The trucks involved in the accidents were mostly Tractor semi trailer type. Although just 6% of the drivers were younger than 25 years of age, 30% of the car drivers fell under this age range.
These statistics make us want to look for the possible causes for so many accidents. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety made a Research in which through a survey it found four basic factors for truck crashes: The drowsy, sleepy or fatigued driver, the improper followings, the improper lane changes and the vision obstructed by the rain, snow or fog.
Maybe these are not all of the causes of truck crashes but it tells about several forgotten principles, misconducts and daily problems in the truck driver job. Another research made by Monash University interviewed truck drivers with a crash fatality. They found that many of the drivers did not have the proper knowledge to fight against the fatigue, believing they had enough abilities to confront it. Also, the researchers found that these drivers were poorly trained and were not used to check their truck every day.
For the truck drivers and trucking companies this is a topic that must be taken seriously because the cost of a crash goes beyond the truck damages. Adding the insurances and the injuries to others led one case to reach up to $27 million. This case was reported by the Fleet Owner Magazine, in which a Missouri truck driver killed two people and seriously injured two others.
The FMCSA, in order to avoid these extreme situations recommends to the drivers to follow this simple advice. First, to take care of the most important part of the truck: the driver. To eat healthy food, rest well, do not exceed the hours of service among the things to look out for.
Second, the machine must be in optimal condition. It is essential for the driver to check the brakes and look for leaks and defects. It is also important to look out for the blind point; according with the Department of Transport one third of the crashes are in the blind zones.
"Expect the unexpected" and drive slow and with space says the FMCSA about the work zones. Finally the truck drivers are reminded of the basic driving principles like using the seat belt and driving defensively and not aggressive. This is the right behavior of the professional of the road.