Tennessee's Busy Highways Provide Ripe Landscape for Trucking Accidents

December 12, 2012

Motorists need to be particularly aware of large trucks when traversing the nation's roadways, especially along busy commercial routes such as I-40, I-24 and I-65 in Tennessee. After all, a negligent or inattentive truck driver operating a several ton vehicle at such high speeds can easily cause serious, or even deadly, trucking accidents.

Fortunately for other motorists, the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires those with commercial drivers' licenses to get medical physicals every two years in order to keep their licenses. Given the physical demands of driving commercial trucks - not to mention the severe consequences if the driver is not up to the task - these physicals help ensure those physically incapable of handling the rigors of truck driving are not permitted to continue getting behind the wheel of a truck.

DOT medical exam regulations

In the past, DOT medical exams could be performed by a variety of providers such chiropractors or medical doctors, according to a statement by Kodjo Bossou - a doctor in the Mayo Clinic Health System - to the Republican Eagle. However, new federal regulations will require many truck drivers with commercial licenses to obtain their medical physicals from physicians with proper certification.

According to Bossou, there were instances under the previous regulations in which commercial drivers would be denied medical cards by one physician because of medical issues, only to check out several other physicians until they were able to get their medical approval - mainly because some physicians don't truly understand the DOT medical requirements, Bossou continued.

Unfortunately, given that the new medical exam regulations will not go into effect until May 2014 - meaning drivers can still currently go to the physician of their choice to obtain their medical cards - it remains to be seen whether or not these new regulations will ultimately have a large impact on trucking safety and reduce trucking accidents.

However, hopefully the new standardized exams will be better at screening for medical issues that are detrimental to truck drivers, such as sleep apnea.

Basically, sleep apnea is a medical breathing disorder in which the inflicted experience pauses in breathing while sleeping. Many studies have found that drivers who suffer from sleep apnea are significantly more likely to cause motor vehicle accidents than other motorists.

Seek help if injured

If you have been injured by a truck driver who should not have been behind the wheel because of a medical condition, it is important to protect your rights by speaking with a knowledgeable trucking accident attorney. An experienced attorney may not only be able to provide helpful advice, but also help the victim collect and evaluate important evidence.

Article provided by Kinnard, Clayton & Beveridge
Visit us at www.kinnardclaytonandbeveridge.com