http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=74280
Stability control systems, which are so popular in automobiles, can also help prevent truck rollovers. In fact, Missouri truck accident lawyers believe that they could prevent as many as 3,600 truck rollover accidents every year, and save at least 100 lives in the process. The National Transportation Safety Board is now calling on federal trucking safety agencies to implement rollover prevention technologies and systems.
The National Transportation Safety Board is even more concerned about truck rollover accidents since a 2009 Indiana accident that left five people injured. The Indiana accident involved a tanker truck loaded with liquefied petroleum gas, flipped over on a busy Indiana highway, and burst into flames. Miraculously, no one was killed in the accident. But the tanker truck driver and a motorist who got too close to the fireball sustained serious injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board has completed its investigation into that accident. The Board blames the fact that the tanker truck was at a high susceptibility for a rollover because of its high center of gravity. If the tanker truck had come with stability control systems, it is likely that the driver could have retained control over the tanker truck, thereby preventing this accident.
A tanker truck rollover can have terrible consequences. Very often, these tanker trucks are carrying gasoline and other hazardous materials. In the event of a rollover, these materials can easily leak. People in the vicinity may be at a high risk from exposure to hazardous chemicals. They may also be at a high risk from explosions or fires.
The National Transportation Safety Board is calling on the federal trucking safety agency and the federal pipeline safety agency to work together to implement better protections against truck rollover accidents. This would include mandating stability control systems in all tanker trucks. The Board also wants a review of the design of cargo tank trucks and stronger performance standards for new cargo tanks.
