From July 15, 2018, to September 30, 2018, the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety (MCRS) is sponsoring a statewide commercial motor vehicle (CMV) awareness campaign called “Respect the Load. Share the Road” (Commercial motor vehicle awareness campaign runs through summer). The campaign is intended to serve as a reminder to Missouri motorists to drive safely around CMVs, and for CMV drivers to obey all traffic laws, wear seat belts, and pay attention to their surroundings.
CMVs constitute 20 percent of the interstate traffic through Missouri and represent a sizable portion of the American economy. Because of the enormous difference in size between tractor-trailers and passenger cars, accidents between the two often result in devastating damages or even death. In most accidents involving both cars and large trucks, the driver of the passenger vehicle has at least partially caused the collision through inattention or a lack of care around tractor-trailers.
Motorists should never take chances around tractor-trailers. Large trucks require a large room. “Please don’t risk your life by driving aggressively around big trucks,” said MoDOT assistant to the state highway and traffic engineer Jon Nelson. “Please be patient and pay attention.”
Because maneuvering a passenger vehicle in the presence of a tractor-trailer is even more difficult for young, inexperienced drivers, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has created a program called “Teens and Trucks.” Through this program, young drivers can learn how a CMV differs from a car, how to navigate safely around tractor-trailers, and the hazards of distracted driving.
The MCRS is a partnership of safety advocates working together to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities. The coalition has developed Missouri’s Blueprint – A Partnership Toward Zero Deaths to serve as a guide to attaining their goal of reducing traffic accidents to less than 700 by 2020 and eventually to zero.
Any accident involving a vehicle the size of a tractor-trailer can result in tragic consequences. If you have been injured in a tractor-trailer accident. We will only receive a fee in the event of a successful resolution of your case.