Tractor trailers, due to their size and weight, are inherently hazardous. An overloaded or improperly loaded trailer increases the risk of a truck accident significantly. A tractor trailers cargo weight limit is determined by the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) calculated by brake, powertrain, frame and suspension limitations. An overloaded 18-wheeler is operating with a dangerous strain on that equipment. The stopping distance of the truck is dramatically increased. The truck is more likely to jackknife, especially on wet roads. With a raised center of gravity and the possibility of load shifting, the chance of a rollover is much higher. Some overloaded trailers have been known [...]

Commercial trucks like eighteen-wheeler and delivery trucks present distinctive dangers to smaller vehicles and their passengers. Not only do truck drivers need to be mindful of the dangers presented by their large and bulky vehicles, but other drivers also need to be careful when driving near a large truck. Often, slight driving mistakes, like failing to signal before passing, can result in disaster when a big-rig is involved, especially at high speeds. Sadly, occupants in cars and other small vehicles make up the majority of injuries and fatalities occurring in a commercial truck accidents. Collisions frequently occur because the enormous truck has limited visibility and braking [...]

Caution is the byword. That is certainly the fundamental takeaway conveyed on a relevant page of our website at the Ventura County-based Vititoe Law Group regarding passenger vehicle drivers’ movements around commercial trucks on state roads and freeways. […]

Our blog post today continues with a theme we initially addressed in an entry from last week, namely, commuter train safety in Southern California. Our October 20 post detailed train-related events of major importance and concern that have occurred in the region and that have been tragically bookmarked by two seminal occurrences. As we noted in last week’s post, a 2008 freight train/Metrolink commuter train collision occurring in Chatsworth killed 28 people. And just a few short months ago, another deadly Metrolink crash played out near Oxnard, when a truck and train collided at a crossing. That accident took the life of a train engineer and [...]

For obvious reasons, the adverse repercussions stemming from a train-related crash can be outsized. We simply note on the San Fernando Valley Railroad Accident page of our website at the Ventura County Vititoe Law Group, LLC, that “a railroad accident can be a catastrophic event.” […]

It “is a terrible idea, and it will result in more crashes, more deaths and more injuries,” says Jackie Gillan, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a national alliance of groups promoting positive roadway outcomes. Not true, counters a leading lobbyist for the American Trucking Associations (ATA), who says that it is actually a sensible proposition and hardly akin to “just opening the barn doors to these young horses to run.” […]

In our last post, we began a discussion about truck safety. We observed how critical it is that the nation’s trucking industry, lawmakers, regulators and manufacturers prioritize truck safety given how much damage truck accidents can cause. We also noted that for the fourth consecutive year, the number of fatalities caused by truck accidents occurring on American roads has risen, according to the National Traffic Safety Board. In response to this sobering trend, the NTSB is urging federal highway regulators to make truck safety a top priority. Specifically, it is insisting that relevant agencies pass the more than 100 truck safety recommendations that the NTSB has [...]