Anti-Rollover Technology – Commercial Trucking
When it comes to legislating safety standards on the road, perhaps no area is more important than the setting of standards for commercial semis and trucks. Considering that the average commercial truck can be 12 feet tall, 80 feet long, and almost 70 tons in weight, the impact of accidents involving trucks can be severe.
As a result, there has recently been a push from government officials, private citizens, and trucking unions alike to institute mandatory anti-rollover technology on all commercial trucks.
Such technology consists of sensors attached to the truck which are able to anticipate slippages and jackknifing and self-correct before an accident has the chance to occur. Making this technology mandatory on all new trucks would be a major pre-emptory move that would save time, money, and, most importantly, lives.
Of course as anyone who has ever shared a highway with these vital behemoths knows the concern to public safety that such vehicles incur. By preventing accidents, particularly on busy highways and freeways, the lives and health of Canadian citizens can be vastly more protected. But in addition to public safety, this new technology can also have a large economic benefit.
First, accidents can tie up traffic for several hours, causing major commuter jams and a huge loss of individual productivity as a result. Additionally, clearing roads after a major accident often requires a huge amount of manpower, including road crews, police, fire and ambulance that would be otherwise engaged serving the city. Finally, since commercial trucks are often transporting important and sometimes perishable consumer goods, the loss of the contents of trucks can cause a major and negative impact on the profitability of both the manufacturers and retailers.
Some believe, however, that the anti-rollover technology being proposed does not go far enough. Additionally, available are so-called “full-stability” systems, which in addition to self-correcting jackknifing, roll-overs, and slippages, include yaw and steer sensors that are far more effective in all weather conditions – a particular concern during Canadian winters. Still, there is near universal agreement that legislating new technologies to protect those on the roads is an important economic and public safety move, and unions are looking forward to this becoming law within the year.
If you have been involved in an accident with a commercial truck, the legal team at Mackesy Smye would be happy to offer you a no-obligation, entirely free consultation to determine the facts of your case.