Yesterday I wrote that many experienced truck accident lawyers estimate the real number of truck drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol on our roads today may be well over 200,000. Today I’d like to expand on one of the factors allowing this to occur — what I believe is an industry-wide conspiracy allowing cheating on mandatory drug testing.

I realize many people may disregard what I say, as an attorney handling truck cases, when I opine on this issue. But last year, a Government Accountability Office report to Congress called the Department of Transportation’s drug and alcohol testing program for truck drivers unreliable and riddled with problems.  For example:

The image of one trucker driving an 80,000 pound truck while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and causing truck accidents on our roads is scary enough.

Now imagine 100,000 truckers on our roads on drugs and alcohol.

According to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Roadcheck 2008, 1 percent of the truck drivers who were stopped during checks were under influence of drugs or alcohol. One percent  multiplied by the number of truck drivers on our roads would be 92,500 truck drivers under
influence of drugs or alcohol.

Now double that.

Last week, a reporter from the Des Moines Register interviewed me for an article on the national debate on elderly drivers causing auto accidents: Do they pose a great risk to others and should therefore face more restrictions, or could that constitute age-based discrimination? As a personal injury attorney handling car accidents and truck accidents, a significant portion of my practice involves elderly drivers.

This reporter found me through my blog on older drivers. Our firm cares deeply about the well being and safety of the elderly as well as how it relates to Michigan drivers. I was pleased to be included in the story about such an important topic:

Young drivers account for more than one-third of all car accidents. To put that into perspective, drivers ages 16-24 were involved more than 34 percent of all traffic crashes last year, according to SEMCOG. This fact came as no surprise to me, because as an auto accident attorney, I sadly see car crashes at the hands of teen drivers on a regular basis.

Just last month, we received a $2 million jury verdict in Lenawee County for a client who was hit by a teenager with a car full of girlfriends. The teen was speeding and trying to pass our client’s truck on the gravel shoulder, because she didn’t want to wait a couple of extra seconds for traffic to clear.

Detroit is a dangerous place to drive. Based upon a national survey of automobile crash deaths, Detroit, Michigan ranked as the 9^th deadliest city in America according to a NHTSA report of fatal car accidents from around the country.

Our auto accident lawyers help many people who have been seriously injured in the Detroit metro area, and Michigan Auto Law opened a law office on Woodbridge Street, in downtown Detroit several years ago to better service our clients.

Last year, I wrote about Detroit’s top five worst intersections. Today I’m updating that information with five more intersections with much higher car accident numbers, based upon SEMCOG’s newest 2008 statistics.

Truck Accident Lawyer Steve Gursten Warns Michigan Drivers on CBS Radio

This morning, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by CBS radio personality Alisa Zee about my work to raise awareness on the dangerous trucking company crisis in Michigan and throughout the country. Countless drivers are being put in harm’s way each time they get behind the wheel. And as a truck accident lawyer who constantly sees families ravaged due to preventable truck accidents at the hands of careless truck companies, I’ve had enough.

The interview can be heard 6 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, on WYCD FM radio. It will be syndicated in Michigan and across the U.S.

As lawyers handling car accidents throughout Michigan, we have seen thousands of preventable crashes due to distracted driving. Unfortunately, when it comes to causing distraction, texting is at the top of the list.

Our accident attorneys frequently stress the importance of avoiding texting while behind the wheel. It’s a thoughtless act, but it is also very dangerous and needlessly puts lives at risk. I have seen first-hand the carnage and destruction caused by drivers who were texting. Several years ago, for example, a truck driver was texting and caused a catastrophic accident. My client lost both his legs when his Saturn was literally split in half.

Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Has Released Online Resource Center to Answer Questions Following a Motorcycle Crash

The motorcycle accident lawyers of Michigan Auto Law deeply care about motorcycle safety, especially since in the past decade, an average of 76,000 people across the country suffered serious personal injury from motorcycle crashes. And about 3,900 motorcyclists have died from accidents during that time, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

To make matters worse, the motorcycle accident law in Michigan has many exceptions, and is very different than those for car accidents and truck accidents. That’s why it’s important for motorcycle accident victims, their families and their lawyers to understand motorcycle insurance laws, critical deadlines and exactly what happens when someone has been injured or killed in a crash.

As the only law firm handling truck accidents in Michigan, our lawyers want all Michigan drivers to know how dangerous bad trucks, unfit drivers, and rogue trucking companies have become. As of April 2009, there are now 1,072 Michigan trucking companies with less-than-satisfactory safety ratings, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This means that about one in three trucks on Michigan roads currently have defective brakes, bad tires, loads that dangerously exceed weight limitations, and unfit drivers with little or no safety training.

And the shocking numbers of out-of-service and poorly maintained trucks is continuing to rise.

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Government Accountability office (GAO) released a new report on unsafe commercial trucks and buses that’s highly disturbing, even to the lawyers in our law firm, who have been handling truck accidents for more than 50 years. The report found that more than 500 trucking and bus companies that were ordered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) to be shut down for safety violations are continuing to operate under different names.