Charlotte, North Carolina Personal Injury Blog

New research suggests more truck drivers are going out on their own instead of working for a new company. For other drivers on the road in the Charlotte and Rock Hill areas of North Carolina, that could mean added risk of being involved in trucking accidents.

Federal safety data reveals that carrier registrations have climbed 7.5 percent in little more than a year. Active, for-hire trucking carriers counted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's CSA database increased about 13,000 from February 2011 to April 2012, from 155,240 to 166,810, according to an analysis by a company that provides risk management services to shippers.

From taking kids to school, to getting employees to work or getting someone across the country to visit relatives, buses carry many different kinds of passengers. A recent string of deadly accidents has safety advocates calling for more stringent oversight of bus safety.

Three of the most serious bus accidents in recent years lead to the deaths of 40 people, including one in Texas that left 17 passengers dead. Yet even after these accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration did not make significant changes to safety regulations. And it is not just passenger buses that are lacking in safety and inspection standards: school buses are also affected. While fewer than eight passengers die in school bus accidents, about 8,000 children are injured each year.

Semi trucks are the largest vehicles on the road. They are several times larger than the biggest cars on the road. This means that semi trucks can pose a significant danger to other cars and passengers, especially when it comes to semi-trucks that are speeding. Because of the large size and weight of semi trucks, they require much more time to stop than a car and when they cannot stop, there are usually tragic consequences.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has recently released a proposed top speed for commercial trucks. The FMCSA has recently demonstrated that speed is what kills in truck accidents with semi trucks and that requiring commercial vehicles to slow down will save hundreds of lives. It is also proposing technology to electronically monitor and limit the speed limits of commercial vehicles.

There are specific rules and requirements to be licensed to drive various types of vehicles. This is because different vehicles pose different safety hazards of which the driver must be aware. Drivers must be capable of controlling the vehicles they are licensed to drive to avoid the risk of serious trucking accidents.

The definition of "tank vehicle" includes truckers hauling common loads in fluid bins. Before May 2011, the definition of "tank vehicle" did not include common place fluid bins. Drivers could haul these loads without additional tank endorsements on their licenses. The change to the definition outlines volumes that are acceptable without additional endorsements on their license. These changes could apply to almost any driver operating a commercial vehicle.

After a review of 16 investigations during 2010, which included 338,000 passenger vehicle recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identified numerous disclosure violations. NHSTA investigations are often triggered by customer complaints or safety concerns and can lead to recalls and also fines. In other incidences, car manufacturers determine there are issues with their vehicles and issue a recall or defect warning without government inquiry.

Workplace deaths in North Carolina rose in 2011.

Preliminary data released by the N.C. Department of Labor suggests 53 people died in work-related accidents this past year, which is up from 50 in 2010. Nevertheless, the 2011 figure is in line with the average (53.2) over the last five years, according to the report.

Once again construction had the most fatalities with 16. The fishing, agriculture and forestry sectors saw 10 deaths each, while public utilities and transportation produced six apiece.

Over the last few decades, U.S. obstetricians have made big changes in the way they deal with difficult births. It used to be that forceps were the favored method of extraction. Now, doctors are increasingly relying on vacuum-aided extraction and cesarean section surgeries.

However, new data suggests that this shift may not be safer for babies. Although the risk of birth injuries is relatively low overall, babies born via vacuum pump or C-section are more likely to suffer neurological complications.

Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year for any child. Dressing up in a carefully selected costume might be fun for kids, but, we all know that what they really look forward to is a bag of candy that is overflowing by the end of the night. So, before the streets are overrun with goblins, ghosts and princesses, here are a few tips to help make your Halloween safe.

Before you leave the house, make sure that your child is able to walk safely in his or her costume. When it is time to go trick-or-treating, try to find a parent or other responsible adult who can act as a chaperone. If your town has trick-or-treating hours at night, be sure to add reflective tape to costumes and bring a flashlight along with you.

In its three decades of existence, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has worked to save lives and make North America's roadways safer. With brakes factoring into a majority of commercial vehicle crashes, the CVSA has made improving compliance, maintenance, inspection and performance of commercial vehicle braking systems a priority by establishing its Brake Safety Week initiative. In 2011, the event, held from September 11 to 17, proved to be another successful campaign.

Traditionally, Brake Safety Week, conducted with and supported in part by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), is a time when trucking companies, public safety, commercial, state police and highway departments take part in education programs, brake inspections and public service announcements regarding the dangers of brake defects. The program has proven that properly operating commercial vehicle equipment saves lives.