In a blog recently published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, an attorney who represents truck accident victims writes about the dangers posed by trucks in the days following the Roadcheck inspection blitz.
Lawyer Warns About After-Effects Of “Roadcheck Vacation”
Attorney Steve Laird’s piece entitled “Danger looms in annual road safety blitz” was published May 27. The article begins with a warning to motorists: “One of the most dangerous times of the year to be on the road is coming next week, although a majority of drivers will never realize the risks because they were never warned.”
Laird goes on to explain that drivers and trucking companies are made aware of the coming Roadcheck inspections months in advance — and he says that this advanced notice gives unsafe truckers an advantage. Laird writes: “A lot of improperly licensed drivers and those who operate unsafe trucks avoid work during Roadcheck in order to escape the scrutiny of safety regulators.” The article names the phenomenon “Roadcheck Vacation.”
Laird contends that one of the results of the Roadcheck vacation phenomenon is that in the days after the campaign, highways become more dangerous as “unsafe vehicles and sketchy drivers return to the highway.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram piece does not include any data on truck crash numbers in the days following Roadcheck.
Sources:
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Dallas Morning News