Brake Safety Week is an inspection spree that the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance holds every year across North America to enforce brake safety regulations among CMVs, especially big rigs. CMV drivers in New York will want to mark September 15 on their calendar because this will be the start of the 2019 Brake Safety Week. Inspections are held at random, and those who are caught violating regulations will be put out of service until the issue is fixed.
The 2019 inspection spree will focus especially on brake hoses and tubing: components that are essential to a functioning brake system. If these have leaks or are damaged, improperly attached or inflexible, then they will compromise the performance of the brakes. Everyone knows that bad brakes will increase a vehicle’s braking distance. This makes rear-end collisions more likely.
In the three-day International Roadcheck that took place in 2018, 45% of the out-of-service orders issued had something to do with brake violations. Of the 20 most frequently cited vehicle violations in 2018, six were brake-related, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Raising awareness, then, is key. During Brake Safety Week, law enforcement officials will be doing just that, reaching out to truck fleet owners, drivers, owner-operators, mechanics and others.
Regular truck maintenance is required, so drivers who neglect this and who cause a crash will likely have to contend with a personal injury case. Victims, for their part, may want to hire a lawyer, especially because it is hard to negotiate for a settlement on one’s own. The lawyer may also bring in investigators to show just how bad brakes, or other bad components, contributed to the accident. Medical experts may come in to measure the extent of injuries.
