The accident scenario presented in the above video installment in Overdrive sister publication CCJ's "Preventable or not?" series sees trucker John Doe's haul through city traffic is violently interrupted by an impatient driver of a yellow Porsche in the midst of what can only be described as a Grand Prix-style maneuver.
Doe rode at the posted speed limit of 35 on the inside of two lanes and was gaining ground on a slow-moving city bus in the right lane ahead -- the Porsche driver gunned it on Doe's right, then attempting to race her vehicle through the rapidly diminishing gap between the bus and the front bumper of Doe’s Class 8.
Blammo!
Could the crash be anything other than nonpreventable? Doe was surprised by the preventable accident warning letter he received from his safety director, contesting the determination with the National Safety Council’s accident review committee. Find out how the NSC ultimately ruled in the video.
[Related: Preventable or not? When to use DataQs to request crash reviews in FMCSA's preventability program]
Owner-operators and other carriers with authority can now seek preventability reviews for an expanded set of crashes on their record through FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program, including any crash for which video evidence shows the full sequence of the crash. The process for requesting a review takes place through the FMCSA's DataQs system. Crashes deemed nonpreventable after a review are excluded from the Crash Indicator category ratings in the CSA Safety Measurement System. Overdrive's Partners in Business comprehensive guide to running a small trucking business includes this primer on when and how to request preventability reviews.
Hear plenty in the way of advice around the importance of having clearly nonpreventable crashes reviewed in the federal program in this early-2024 edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast. Find it also in the playlist of the top podcasts of 2024 below.
