Federal Agency to Focus on Truck and Bus Safety this Holiday Season

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced several improvements to its Compliance Safety Accountability program, which is tasked with assisting various safety officials in identifying safety concerns among trucking and bus companies. The changes are scheduled to be implemented before the busy holiday travel season begins in December and may help local officials avoid potentially tragic Tampa car accidents.

“These improvements will enable us to better identify and address unsafe truck and bus companies before tragedies occur,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Some of the improvements that the administration is putting into place include:

• More accurate identification of safety sensitive carriers, such as those hauling hazardous materials
• Changes to the Carrier Safety Management System (SMS) designed to address industry biases in identifying high risk carriers
• Improved display of SMS results on the SMS website

The program is specifically designed to identify and address bus and truck companies that are posing a particularly high risk for compliance concerns as soon as possible. According to the FMCSA, the number of fatalities involving commercial vehicles dropped by 4.7 percent between 2010 and 2011. By raising the bar for truck and bus safety, the administration hopes to continue to lower the number of fatalities related to large bus and truck accidents.

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If you’ve been seriously injured in a car accident in our area due to another driver’s neglect, it’s important to find a Tampa personal injury attorney with the knowledge and experience to fight for your rights. Contact the law offices of Abrahamson & Uiterwyk today for a free initial consultation at 1-800-538-4878.