The Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) is being slowly rolled out across the U.S. CSA 2010 was created by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and it compiles a score for trucking companies. The initiative uses a point system, checking the carriers and its drivers in seven different categories. If the scores become deficient in any area, the FMCSA could sanction the companies, which range from creating a performance plan to possibly ordering the carrier's trucks off of the road. While many have viewed CSA 2010 as a step in the right direction toward safer roadways, trucking companies are still implementing policies that allow them to comply with the new rules. One of the main issues that is causing concern within the industry deals with accident reporting.
When a trucker has an accident, CSA 2010 requires a report to be submitted into the database. These accident reports will all count toward the carrier's score. Trucking companies contend that CSA 2010 does not take fault into consideration when examining the accident reports. For example, say an 18-wheeler was run off the road by a car making a lane change. The fact that the trucker needed to take the ditch to avoid wrecking another vehicle would not matter. The truck was in an accident, and that is going to impact that particular carrier's score.
The primary goal of CSA 2010 is to make sure that only safe drivers and carriers are on the road, and to prevent accidents from happening. The points system will help the agency keep track of carriers that are deficient in certain areas, and allow those that have repeat violations to be removed from roadways. The scores for carriers are available to the public. For those that are victims of truck accidents, this information can be extremely important to show a pattern of irresponsibility.
However, the accident reporting system that would be in place when CSA 2010 goes into effect could lead to more questions. If a carrier is shown to have been in multiple accidents, what if the carrier contends that the accidents were not the fault of its drivers? Would it require each accident to be examined to determine that a company is unsafe? CSA 2010 could create additional hurdles for those who have been the victims of unsafe driving by truck drivers. Contact an experienced attorney in your area to learn your options if you have been injured in a trucking accident.
