Members of Congress Urge Regulators to Require Trucks and Buses Implement Collision Avoidance Systems

Five nursing students from Georgia Southern University were killed in April when a truck slammed into two SUV’s that had stopped due to a previous accident. The young women, whose lives were tragically cut short, had just completed their last day of clinical rotations at St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital in Savannah the day before the fatal truck crash occurred.

1192536_94741323An investigation into the accident showed that the truck driver responsible for the crash never hit the brakes, nor took any evasive action before slamming into the passenger vehicles at 68 miles-per-hour. These are the types of accidents that five Georgia Congressmen feel can be prevented if large trucks and buses implement a type crash avoidance system that has been long sought-after by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

According to Consumer Affairs, 130,000 crashes, 4,000 fatalities and 80,000 injuries are caused each year in the U.S. by large vehicles rear-ending passenger cars and SUVs. Representatives Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., John Lewis, David Scott and Earl L. “Buddy” Carter will be introducing legislation that they believe will reduce these statistics.

The bill would require large trucks and buses to implement forward collision avoidance technology and braking systems designed to avoid rear-end accidents like the one that killed the Georgia Southern students. Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was involved in a similar crash last year that gained national notoriety. In that accident, Walmart truck driver Kevin Roper plowed into Morgan’s limo bus, which had slowed on the New Jersey Turnpike. The crash left Morgan with life-altering injuries and killed his longtime friend, comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair.

In a letter to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind, the Congressmen said the crash avoidance system has widespread support from the trucking industry and safety advocates alike. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the Center for Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and Road Safe America have all endorsed the legislation.