Kentucky Injury Law News
Kentucky drivers may be interested to know that roughly 3,900 trucks were put out-of-service during September’s Brake Safety Week. This was according to the director of vehicle programs for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. The event took place Sept. 11-17, and of those trucks, 2,352 were removed from the road for brake violations. Furthermore, there were 1,100 trucks taken out of service for both brake violations and violations not related to brake issues.
Overall, there were 18,057 trucks inspected during Brake Safety Week. Inspectors were looking for brakes that were out of adjustment or had other issues such as loose parts or leaking fluid. Inspectors also were on the lookout for cracked or damaged brake pads, drums or linings. If a truck had anti-lock brakes, inspectors checked to see if anti-malfunction indicator lamps were in compliance.
In a statement, a representative for the CVSA said that Brake Safety Week gave inspectors a chance to identify trucks that may have critical violations. The event was also a chance for both drivers and carriers to understand just how important it is for a truck to have safe and properly functioning brakes. By keeping a truck’s brakes in good condition, it helps to ensure the safety of the vehicle as well as those on the road.
While many tractor-trailer crashes are caused by a truck driver who was speeding, distracted, impaired or otherwise negligent, others are the result of deficient truck maintenance. A person who has been injured after being rear-ended by a semi truck may want to meet with an attorney to see who should be held financially responsible. The attorney could review the truck’s maintenance records to see if the trucking company may have neglected to repair old and worn-out brakes. .