Houston, TX, /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Between an estimated 3,000 and 4,000 fatalities are caused by commercial truck and bus crashes in the US annually. As noted by the Houston truck accident lawyers of 1-800-Car-Wreck, new rules have been adopted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that are designed to help decrease the number of truck accident deaths in the country. 

A key focus of the new rules is the prevention of driver fatigue. Of the number of estimated fatalities noted above, a purported 13 percent are linked to driver fatigue according to a report by the NPR. Anne Ferro, who heads the FMCSA, is quoted in the NPR report as stating of the matter, "At the core of that rule is a tremendous amount of research about how fatigue contributes to our ability to be alert and how chronic fatigue undermines an operator's ability to run safely."

With the new rules, drivers of commercial vehicles must take breaks after an initial eight hours on the road and the maximum weekly driving time has been lowered to 70 hours per week among other provisions.

1-800-Car-Wreck Houston attorneys say that adequate rest is important for commercial drivers for their own protection and for others on the road. There is hope that with the new rules, a number of drivers and trucking companies will think twice about trying to go over the legal limits of allowable driving hours to meet unmanageable deadlines or drive fatigued, placing others in harms way.

If you have bee involved in a truck accident and need help from an experienced accident injury attorney, call 1-800-Car-Wreck today for a free case evaluation.

Media Contact: Amy Witherite, 1-800-Car-Wreck Houston, 713-861-1101, awitherite@ewlawyers.com

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SOURCE 1-800-Car-Wreck Houston