the tabor blog

• Feb 14, 2012

  Bicyclists on the road: Did you know?

  The winter weather has kept bicyclists off the roads the past few months, but as the weather begins to warm, more people will begin choosing bicycles as their primary mode of transportation.
  
  Bicyclists are legal drivers of vehicles, and must abide by the same laws and regulations on roadways. However many cyclists don’t feel that they are respected by other motorists on the roadways.
  
  In 2009, 630 bicyclists were killed and an additional 51,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes around the country.
  
  As spring approaches, Tabor Law Firm urges motorists to be increasingly aware of bicyclists on the roadways, and to be cautious while sharing the roadway.
  
  Did you know?

  • Alcohol involvement- either for the driver or bicyclist- was reported in more than 40% of the traffic crashes that resulted in bicyclist fatalities

  • 72% of all bicycle fatalities happened between the hours of 4 am and 8 pm.

  • Bicyclists can ride on all roads, except where restricted.

  • It is illegal to ride your bike against traffic. Bicyclists should ride on the road, and travel the same direction as traffic.

  • Motorists must maintain a distance of 3 feet when passing a bicyclist.

  • In most states, a bicycle is considered a “vehicle” and all bike riders must follow and obey the same traffic laws as other vehicles.

  If you or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle accident, call Tabor Law Firm to get your questions answered.

• Feb 08, 2012

  faulty brake parts lead to recall of over 15,000 trucks

  A faulty brake valve produced by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems had been installed on as many as 60,000 Navistar Inc., Paccar Inc., and Volvo group heavy-duty vehicles. News of the problem was made public February 1st.
  
  Paccar has recalled 15,932 of it’s 2012-2013 model-year Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks equipped with the faulty brake valves due to concerns that the brakes could engage and possibly overheat in extremely cold conditions.
  
  The flawed valve also halted delivery of an unknown number of trucks that were in various stages of production.
  
  If you believe you, or someone you know, has been injured in a truck collision because of a defective truck part, call Tabor Law Firm for your free consultation.

• Feb 08, 2012

  ruling on the hours of service drivers: follow up

  In late December, a rule was issued stating truck drivers are to drive no more than 11 hours a day, reducing the old rule of 12 hours by one. However, many safety organizations are still unhappy with this ruling.
  

  At one time it was discussed lowering the hours to 10 instead of 11, but the final ruling stated that there was not enough available crash data to “yield a statistically significant distinction between the crash risk associated with any two adjacent hours of work.”
  

  In response to the backlash of criticism, the FMCSA has announced that they will continue to conduct data analysis to further examine any risks associated with the 11-hour driving time. Once significant data is accumulated, the FMCSA may push to have hours reduced further to 10 driving hours per day.
  

  National Transportation consultants say the 11-hour ruling was an attempt to strike a balance between the American Trucking Association (ATA) who is against shortening hours, and the FMCSA.
  

  At this time, the 11-hour rule remains unchanged.