The Government Accountability Office has found in a recent study that a significant number of truck accidents or bus accidents were caused by a physical impairment of the driver.

In 2006, 5,300 people died from crashes involving large commercial trucks or buses and 126,000 more were injured. Drivers falling asleep or being disabled by a heart attack or seizure or other physical impairment caused about 12 percent of crashes where the cause could be identified.

In an audit by the Government Accountability Office, more than half a million drivers held commercial truck driving licenses (CDLs) yet were also so disabled that they were eligible to receive full disability benefits. Many of these drivers are still on the road.

According to the report, as of 2006, Texas had more than 16,000 improperly certified truck drivers. The report did not specify how many people were killed or maimed in truck accidents or bus accidents in Texas. Accident attorneys are studying this research.

Companies who hire these drivers should be held accountable. If these numbers are correct, at least 636 people were killed and another 15,000 injured on our nation’s roads in 2006 by improperly certified truck drivers.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 at 3:01 pm and is filed under Bus Accidents, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Multiple Vehicle Accidents, Truck Accidents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.