How many of us have been intimidated or outright scared because of the aggressive driving of too many tractor trailer trucks next to us on Georgia roads? These tractor trailer trucks are typically coming through the State of Georgia from or to Florida or other states.
Last month’s upsetting news of actor Tracy Morgan’s critical injuries caused by a tractor trailer driver reminds us that none of us is immune to the devastating consequences of a tired or distracted truck driver on our roads.
As a personal injury trial lawyer with over 30 years’ experience handling cases on behalf of the victims of truck collisions, it is becoming apparent to me that the only way real change is going to come about is by changing Georgia’s laws in order to further safeguard us from the trucking industry. I can continue to collect millions of dollars from these truck companies, but it’s not making them change and it won’t ever make for real and lasting change in my best estimate.
The call to action is for all of us who feel strongly about this issue to call or write our U.S. Senators, and let them know we’ve had enough.
Next week, the U.S. Senate may vote on a transportation spending bill that includes an amendment (Daines Amendment to H.R. 4745) that could negatively affect the resources the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) needs to hold trucking companies accountable for their dangerous trucks and drivers.
Senators Isaacson and Chambliss need to know that FMCSA needs to better protect all of us, and that we’ve had enough of truck companies pushing drivers, who are paid by the mile, to drive longer hours than even the current regulations allow.
Approximately 165 Georgians are killed every year in truck crashes. Those lives are worth contacting your U.S. representatives today to tell them to oppose the Daines Amendment to H.R. 4745.
Tom Ashenden is a civil litigation attorney in Atlanta.
