Drivers in St. Louis County can thank the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for their efforts to reduce fatigue in truck drivers and ensuring motor vehicle accidents. New laws recently went into effect that cover the nation's truckers providing new standards and guidelines for working hours. The goal is clear--to limit the instances of tired drivers being behind the wheel of very large vehicles.

Preliminary estimates from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expect to see 19 lives saved each year and 560 injuries from accidents prevented. Additionally, a drop in 1,400 auto accidents is anticipated due to the new rules.

The story is clear

Throughout the state of Missouri, 784 people lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents in 2011, according to records kept by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. St. Louis County was the site of 49 of those deaths, the second largest number of deaths in any Missouri County, following only Jackson County. Large truck fatalities numbered 18 statewide and four in the county of St. Louis in 2011.

Research results published and cited by the National Truck Accident Lawyers add to the seriousness of the situation. Semi-truck collisions result in a minimum of one fatality in 98 percent of cases. Driver fatigue is listed as a primary cause of crashes that include a commercial vehicle 30 percent of the time.

Due to the large size of many commercial trucks, the seriousness of the personal injuries and likelihood of wrongful death is great, highlighting the need for further safety measures to be implemented.

New work hour guidelines for truckers

The new laws are very detailed about what is allowed and what is not regarding hours worked for truckers. Some of the biggest changes include:-A driver shall exceed no more than 70 hours of work logged in one single work week, a full 12 hours less than what they were allowed previously.-One instance of a rest time spanning a 34-consecutive-hour stretch and including two blocks of time from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. must be recorded each week.-A 30-minute minimum break is required for every eight hours worked.-A single work day can consist of a maximum of 14 hours; up to 11 of those can be spent behind the wheel.

Trucking companies, truck owners and individual truckers are liable for severe penalties if found breaking these rules.

Keep yourself protected

The new laws are clearly designed to increase your safety but it is also your responsibility to protect yourself in the event that an accident still does occur. You should always obtain legal counsel in such an event. Doing so is the best way to ensure that you can be appropriately compensated.

Visit us at caraccidentlawyer-stlouis.com/