Colorado residents know that ground transportation is a mainstay of the American economy as it has far and away overtaken rail as a primary means of delivering goods across the country. While essential from a commerce perspective, having these large commercial vehicles share the road with cars, pickup trucks and other passenger vehicles does open up the risk of serious accidents that leave everyday citizens injured or even killed.
Records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that in the five years spanning 2012 through 2016, a total of 63 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents involving large trucks across Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Adams Counties alone. Of those 63 deaths, 12 each occurred in Denver County and Jefferson County. Another 17 people died in Arapahoe County and Adams County was the location of 22 truck accident fatalities.
Statewide, a tragic trend can be seen as the number of truck fatalities increased every year from 2013 through 2016 starting with 56 deaths in 2013 and increasing to 63 and then 64 deaths in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In 2016, the number of people who lost their lives in crashing involving large trucks in Colorado jumped to 86.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is the agency responsible for monitoring commercial transportation in the United States. Its Hours of Service regulations are one attempt at improving safety on the road. These rules outline the number of hours a trucker can work and when breaks should be taken. The goal of these guidelines is to reduce fatigue among truckers as that is a known factor in many large truck collisions.
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