Traffic Deaths Jump 9% in First Half of 2012

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the number of fatalities caused by motor vehicle collisions increased 9 percent in the first half of 2012, as compared to the same period in 2011.

According to the NHTSA, 16,290 people died in car crashes from January through June this year, up from 14,950 in the first six months of 2011. That represents the largest jump in a single year since the agency began collecting traffic fatality statistics in 1975.

In response to the NHTSA report, The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, an alliance of consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies and agents, issued a statement calling for an increased emphasis on highway safety in Congress and state legislatures. Among the recommended actions, the group says, are steps to address trucking safety: 

[T]ruck safety regulations and studies to protect motorists and truck drivers from the dangers of heavy trucks, truck drivers being pushed to drive in excess of hours of service limits, and under-trained commercial drivers must move forward immediately.

The Law Offices of Frank Branson provides legal representation to victims of trucking and other commercial vehicle accidents.

Whether the cause is driver fatigue, improper truck maintenance, and/or improper screening, training and supervision of drivers, the Dallas truck accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson have the experience, resources and technical abilities to determine what happened and who should be held responsible.