Government Makes Recommendations to Prevent Injury Accidents and Make Roads Safer
Preventing injury accidents and fatal accidents involving semi trucks and generally making the roads safer is the goal of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The rate of deaths from motor vehicle accidents is currently lower than it has ever been, although that rate has not changed much over the last several years at approximately 43,000 deaths from accidents in the U.S. per year.
The following are some of the recommendations from government officials and safety experts:
1. Formal audits of the roads and intersections to evaluate them for safety improvements;
2. Adding rumble strips and stripes and median barriers to prevent the many accidents that occur when vehicles depart from their lanes;
3. Eliminating sharp dropoff angles on the road shoulders to make it easier for vehicles to get back on the road when they have driven onto the shoulder;
4. Adding turn lanes at intersections with high volumes of turning traffic; and
5. Adding raised medians and pedestrian refuge areas at pedestrian crossings.
Safety experts estimate that the number of injury and fatal accidents can be significantly reduced if these recommendations are implemented. It remains to be seen which, if any, of these recommendations are actually put into place.