Debunking NHTSA myths in trucking litigation: jurors put a lot of faith in government regulation of the trucking industry. They need to understand that federal safety standards and defect investigations do not ensure that trucks on the road are safe.(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

Trial, February, 2007 by Kam, Allan J.

Large trucks play a major role in both the occurrence and consequences of traffic crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 442,000 large trucks were involved in crashes in the United States in 2005, resulting in 5,212 fatalities and 114,000 injuries. (1)

These figures could be lower if safety-related laws and regulations governing the trucking industry were more stringent. But truck manufacturers have resisted measures that would require them to design and manufacture safer vehicles.

Relatively lenient federal safety standards and NHTSA's limited use of product recalls serve truck manufacturers well in products liability suits arising from truck crashes. Defendant manufacturers often assert that their vehicles...

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