<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>Indianapolis Truck Accident BLOG</title>
	<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com</link>
	<description>Helping truck accident victims hurt due to driver negligence or truck maintenance issues</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 12:57:31 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.1.2" -->

	<item>
		<title>New FMCSA ‘Strategic Plan’ Works Toward Goal of Zero Crashes</title>
        <pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 12:57:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[After requesting public comment through listening sessions, a Federal Register notice and an online community, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Anne S. Ferro said the feedback received by the agency resulted in changes to the 2012-2016 Strategic Plan that the FMCSA released on May 9, 2012. The agency released the first draft of the plan last June, with the newly released plan including a “vision for the future that moves toward zero commercial motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities.” This is the second strategic plan released by the FMCSA since the agency was established on January 1, 2000. The new FMCSA plan focuses on three core principles: raise the bar to enter the motor carrier industry, maintain high safety standards to remain in the industry and remove high-risk carriers, drivers and service providers from the industry. In its Strategic Plan, the agency says that as long as it...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/new-fmcsa-strategic-plan-works-toward-goal-of-zero-crashes/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/new-fmcsa-strategic-plan-works-toward-goal-of-zero-crashes/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Only Cost Control Stands in Way of Stability Control Mandate</title>
        <pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 12:57:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[A proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that would require stability control systems on heavy-duty tractor trailers has been cleared by the White House Office of Management and Budget.  Now that the proposal has cleared the last step in the review process, it may lead to a mandate for a technology designed to help prevent rollovers and loss-of-control accidents, reported the magazine Heavy Duty Trucking on May 8, 2012. According to Heavy Duty, suppliers of the stability control systems estimate that as many as 25 percent of new trucks already have these controls. Ted Scott, engineering director at American Trucking Associations (ATA), told Heavy Duty that the organization will likely support the proposal. “I don’t see any reason not to support it at this point, given the language I’ve seen,” Scott told Heavy Duty. However, a spokesman for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) told Heavy Duty that owner-operators...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/only-cost-control-stands-in-way-of-stability-control-mandate/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/only-cost-control-stands-in-way-of-stability-control-mandate/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Record-Low Traffic Fatalities in 2011</title>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 12:57:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that traffic fatalities in 2011 fell to the lowest level since federal regulators began counting in 1949, Reuters reported on May 7, 2012. While the final figures will not be issued until later this year, Reuters said preliminary data estimates that 32,310 people died in motor vehicle crashes last year. That’s a decrease of 1.7 percent from the 32,885 people who died in 2010. The NHTSA said traffic deaths have fallen 26 percent since 2005, when 43,510 people were killed in crashes. While the NHTSA did not provide reasons for the decline, the Associated Press reported that safety experts attributed the decline to a number of factors, including “less driving due to a weak economy, more people wearing seat belts, better safety equipment in cars and efforts to curb drunken driving.” Rebecca Lindland, director of automotive research for the business information services company...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/record-low-traffic-fatalities-in-2011/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/record-low-traffic-fatalities-in-2011/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FMCSA Amends Rules to End ‘Reincarnated’ Truck Carriers</title>
        <pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 12:55:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[We wanted to take a moment today to follow up on a story we first blogged about last year and touched on last month regarding efforts by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to shut down “chameleon carriers,” the unsafe trucking outfits that flout out-of-service orders by changing their names. The trucking industry magazine, The Trucker, reported on April 30, 2012, that the FMCSA said that it has “amended its Rules of Practice to establish procedures for issuing out-of-service orders to those motor carriers, intermodal equipment providers, brokers, and freight forwarders it determines are reincarnations of other entities with a history of failing to comply with statutory or regulatory requirements.” In a filing published on April 26, 2012, in the Federal Register, the procedures become effective on May 29 and will provide for administrative review before the out-of-service order takes effect. The Trucker reported that the FMCSA is also proposing...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/fmcsa-amends-rules-to-end-reincarnated-truck-carriers/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/fmcsa-amends-rules-to-end-reincarnated-truck-carriers/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Man Dies After Truck Driver Fails to Notice Vehicle Stopping</title>
        <pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 12:52:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[An 82-year-old man was killed on U.S. Route 30 and 12th Road on April 29, 2012, when the car he was driving was struck from behind by a semi truck. According to WNDU-TV, the man’s wife was a passenger in the car and was conscious after the accident but was still taken to the hospital. Police told WNDU that the driver of the semi was also sent to the hospital for evaluation and to have a protocol blood test taken, but said they did not believe alcohol was a factor. Officials told WNDU that the semi driver “did not notice the car stopping and crashed into it, sending it off the road.” This accident took place before 4:00 p.m. that day, when it was partly sunny and a little cool. Without the weather or nightfall to blame as possible causes, how did this accident happen? While the ensuing investigation will...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/man-dies-after-truck-driver-fails-to-notice-vehicle-stopping/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/man-dies-after-truck-driver-fails-to-notice-vehicle-stopping/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>ATA President Lends Support to EOBR Mandate</title>
        <pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 12:56:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[While we have had our disagreements in the past with some of the positions taken by American Trucking Associations (ATA) president and CEO Bill Graves, we applaud his recent efforts to require motor carriers to use electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs). The driver log devices would promote driver compliance with hours-of-service (HOS) limits and the trucking industry magazine, Fleet Owner, reported on April 26, 2012, that the ATA is supporting an electronic logging mandate, “based on feedback from member carriers that find the technology improves compliance, safety and operating efficiency.” “Clearly, these devices lead to greater compliance with maximum driving limits – which is very good for the trucking industry as a whole and highway safety,” Graves said, according to Fleet Owner. In addition to hopefully helping reduce the number of truck accidents on the nation’s highways, Graves pointed to additional benefits that EOBRs could provide for the trucking industry. “Many logging...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/ata-president-lends-support-to-eobr-mandate/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/ata-president-lends-support-to-eobr-mandate/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>We All Have a Role in Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month</title>
        <pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 12:58:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[On April 22, 2012, Indiana’s NewsCenter reported that two separate motorcycle crashes on the same night in northeast Indiana had left both drivers with serious head injuries after neither was wearing a helmet. If two motorcycle accidents in one night seems surprising, consider that three days before that night, a 74-year-old motorcyclist was killed when a flatbed truck ran into the rear of the motorcycle in Randolph County. Just four days before that, the Journal Gazette reported that a 42-year-old man was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed. Police said he was not wearing a helmet. Because the weather is becoming more favorable around Indiana this time of year, it is an excellent time to remind our readers that May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The National Safety Council (NSC) is encouraging all motorists to share the road with motorcyclists and be extra alert when they...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/we-all-have-a-role-in-motorcycle-safety-awareness-month/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/we-all-have-a-role-in-motorcycle-safety-awareness-month/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Truck Driver was Texting Before School Bus Crash</title>
        <pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 12:57:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[With the March 2012 bus crash on Indianapolis’ Southeast side that killed the driver and a 5-year-old student still fresh on many residents’ minds, it was upsetting to read about another bus accident, this time involving a Pike Township school bus. Worse yet, the Indianapolis Star reported on April 21, 2012, that the truck driver who rear-ended the school bus was texting while driving. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries in the crash. According to WTHR-TV, the bus had come to a complete stop at the railroad tracks on the 8200 block of Zionsville Road and was about to start crossing over them when it was rear-ended by a Piazza produce truck. Pike Township School Police Chief Allen Kasper told the Star that the truck driver, Michael Mattingly, was looking at his cell phone when the crash occurred. Mattingly was cited for texting while driving and is subject to a...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/truck-driver-was-texting-before-school-bus-crash/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/05/truck-driver-was-texting-before-school-bus-crash/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>‘Keep Kids Alive Drive 25’ Tomorrow</title>
        <pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:53:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[We often write about issues relating to car and truck accidents on Indiana’s highways, but tomorrow marks the sixth annual “Keep Kids Alive Drive 25” (KKAD25) Day. KKAD25 is a Nebraska-based nonprofit organization that not only seeks to change the way we drive on neighborhood streets, but supports families who experience the death of a loved one because of a traffic accident. The group’s stated goal is to “put an end to deaths and injuries caused by speeding and distracted driving on our nation&#8217;s roads.” According to the KKAD25 website, 75 percent of motor vehicle crashes occur within 25 miles of home, and 60 percent of crashes occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 miles per hour or less. KKAD25 reports that speeding in residential neighborhoods represents the single greatest complaint issue to police departments and city council representatives throughout the United States, also noting that speeding triples...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/04/keep-kids-alive-drive-25-tomorrow/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/04/keep-kids-alive-drive-25-tomorrow/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>As Construction Increases, Drivers Reminded Not to ‘Barrel Through Work Zones’</title>
        <pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:59:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[As we mentioned on Wednesday, April 23-27 is National Work Zone Awareness Week. The annual campaign was established on December 15, 1999 when the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed an official “Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)” at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters in Washington, D.C. The event coincides with the usual beginning of the construction season to raise public awareness of the hazards that exist for workers—and motorists—in roadway work zones, with the goal to reduce auto accidents and injuries in these work zones. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Don´t Barrel Through Work Zones! Drive Smart to Arrive Alive.” Before you even enter a work zone, here are a few tips to keep in mind before getting on the road this season: Obey the posted work zone speed limit...<br /> <a href="http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/04/as-construction-increases-drivers-reminded-not-to-%e2%80%98barrel-through-work-zones%e2%80%99/">Read More &#187;</a>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.indianapolisaccidentlawyerblog.com/2012/04/as-construction-increases-drivers-reminded-not-to-%e2%80%98barrel-through-work-zones%e2%80%99/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>

