Preventing Semi-Truck Wrecks with Speed Limiters

Speeding is a known cause of serious and fatal accidents, whether it involves a passenger vehicle, semi-truck, or other heavy truck. When driving at high speeds, crashes become more dangerous for several reasons, including increased stopping distance, potential loss of control during evasive steering maneuvers, less time to react, and more forceful impact.

When a semi-truck or other heavy truck is speeding, each of these factors becomes exponentially more hazardous due to the large size of the vehicle. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that from 2003 to 2013, 10,440 people were killed in accidents that involved speeding commercial motor vehicles. Each year, over 1,000 lives are lost to high-speed crashes with semi-trucks.

However, the installation of speed limiters on commercial motor vehicles can prevent severe crashes.

What is a Speed Limiter?

A speed limiter is an electronic device that is installed in vehicles to control their maximum speed. On commercial motor vehicles, these devices can improve roadway safety, fuel efficiency, and allow drivers to adhere to legal standards.

There are several ways speed limiters work with the vehicle’s equipment to control the maximum speed of a vehicle, including:

• Electronic control unit (ECU): The device connects to the vehicle’s ECU, which works to monitor and control aspects of the truck’s performance.
• Speed sensor: This determines the vehicle’s current speed.
• Throttle limiting: Once the truck reaches the maximum speed, the speed limiter coordinates with the throttle system to prevent the engine from exceeding the set speed.
• Adjustable settings: Majority of speed limiters installed on trucks can be adjusted to different maximum speeds depending on the regulations of the region in which the vehicle operates.

How Do Speed Limiters Prevent Severe Truck Wrecks?

Speed limiters ultimately work by reducing how fast a semi-truck can travel. Driving at high speeds poses serious risks, no matter what type of vehicle is driven, but the chance of causing a severe accident increases if a heavy truck is involved.

High-speed driving drastically decreases the amount of time a driver has to react. More distance is required to make a full stop, and you are more likely to lose control if you must attempt an evasive steering maneuver. For semi-trucks, 500 feet of stopping distance is typically needed to come to a full stop when driving at the posted speed limit.

Additionally, any crash that occurs at a high-speed can be serious or fatal due to the force of the impact. This is because crash energy increases disproportionately, creating more energy the vehicle that is hit must manage. That extra energy is absorbed and dissipated, challenging the structure of the vehicle and elevating the possibility of severe injuries or death.

The installation of speed limiters prevents trucks from traveling at speeds high enough to cause these serious, and sometimes fatal, accidents. A study done by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that trucks that do not use speed limiters were involved in high-speed wrecks at twice the rate of trucks that do use them. Furthermore, limiting the speed of heavy trucks to 60 mph would save 162 to 498 lives annually, 65 mph would save 63 to 214 lives annually, and 68 mph would save 27 to 96 lives annually.

Many heavy trucks have had this technology equipped for decades, but it is still not required to have speed limiters installed. Overall, the use of speed limiters by all heavy trucks can reduce the number of injuries and lives lost in high-speed truck wrecks.

Have You or a Loved One Been Injured Because of a Speeding Semi? Craig, Kelley & Faultless Can Help

Attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless are prepared and have the experience to help victims and their loved ones involved in commercial vehicle wrecks through every aspect of their case. Both attorneys David W. Craig and Scott A. Faultless are board-certified in truck accident law by the NBTA, accredited by the American Bar Association. The firm also has a rapid response team that works with investigators, reconstructionists and mechanics who immediately collect evidence as soon as the firm is hired.

Their team-centered approach puts client needs at the forefront, and several attorneys will work on your case to achieve the best possible outcome.

Reach out for a free case consultation today at (888) 253-5198 or online.

David W. Craig is board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, accredited by the American Bar Association in Truck Accident Law. He sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families and It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney, both written to help people navigate what comes next after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.