On a positive note, according to Institute senior vice president David Zuby, "The side impact results represent a huge change from just four years ago. "A major change is that auto manufacturers have been moving quickly to make side airbags standard, even on lower priced models."

In 2006, there were 42, 642 people killed in the 38, 588 fatal motor vehicle accidents, according to the Institute of Highway Safety. Florida was third in the nation in fatal motor vehicle accidents, with 3,374 reported deaths from 3,097 fatal accident crashes.  California was number one in the nation in automobile fatal accidents with 4,236 deaths and Texas came in second with  3,475 reported motor vehicle deaths.

According to a NHTSA FARS report, South Florida led the state in traffic fatalities by County, with Palm Beach County having 212 traffic fatalities, Broward County having 267 traffic fatalities and Miami Dade County having 367 traffic fatalities. It is important to mention that Palm Beach County traffic fatalities increased the most significantly in South Florida from prior years by nine percent. 

This makes the National Click it or Ticket Campaign, so important in saving lives on the roadway. During May 19 - June 1, 2008, law enforcement agencies join forces day and night, from coast-to-coast, for an enforcement blitz that delivers on our message “Click It or Ticket". The mobilization is supported by national and local paid advertising and earned media campaigns aimed at raising awareness before the blitz that ... Day or Night - Buckle Up or Pay Up.

The amazing nonprofit, Dori Slosberg Foundation has taken important steps in working with Florida law enforcement to ensure Florida's participation in this meaningful campaign.  Irv Slosberg and his dedicated team have tirelessly worked side by side with Florida law to ensure that we have the necessary representation on the roadways during this campaign. Although the campaign is only for a few weeks, prior year statistics show that traffic fatalities are decreased during this timeframe.

Click here to learn more about the Staying Alive on 95 event spearheaded by the Dori Slosberg Foundation.

In an NBC news reports, undercover investigators with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, used bogus truck driver’s licenses to gain access to 24 drug-testing sites. An alarming rate of 75 percent “failed to restrict access to items that could be used to adulterate or dilute the [urine] specimen, meaning that running water, soap, or air freshener was available in the bathroom during the test.”

In addition, the report found that the GAO team was able to buy drug-masking products over the Web and was able to mix them with real specimens at the drug-testing sites “without being caught by site collectors”.

Click Here to read more on this GAO report from NBC.com

Jorge Romero is accused of crashing his truck into the back of the minivan, driving through the back seat where the three small children were sitting. The family was returning home from a day at Irvine Spectrum, where they had been celebrating the five year-old's birthday. 

The trucker allegedly came up behind the van at a speed of about 60-70 mph in a tractor-trailer carrying electronics weighing in excess of 40,000 pounds.

Unfortunately, this tragic California truck accident only adds to the fuel of truck statistics and truck safety on the highway. According to the organization, Truck Safety Coalition, in 2005, the most recent year that U.S. data is available, more than 5,200 people were killed and another 114,000 were injured in truck crashes. The Truck Safety Coalition study found that 22 states had truck death crash rates higher than the national average of 1.76 in 2005.

This does little to ease the pain of the surviving loved ones that have tragically lost family members in tragic truck crashes. All we can do is hope that the trucking companies that hire truckers will enforce safety first to their drivers.  Maybe if stiffer penalties and fines were in force for breaking safety rules, they would give the message and learn that large trucks share the roadway with smaller vehicles that carry passengers.

Click Here to read more about this truck accident story in KNBC News.

Their is no amount of money that can bring back the family's little girl. There is some solace and comfort in knowing that the commercial truck company was held accountable for their driver's actions. Congratulations to the Jury for doing the right thing for this family.

This comes a day after, A federal appeals court threw out a Bush administration decision to allow long-haul truckers to drive for up to 11 hours straight. For 60 years, truckers could drive for 10 hours at a time. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been trying to change the rule to allow truckers another hour of driving time.

Click Here to read the Opinion in: Owner - Operator Independent Drivers Ass'n, Inc. v. FMCSA, 06-1035 (D.C. Cir. July, 24, 2007).

I do not know if the driver of the commercial truck that was involved in the Florida truck crash last year was tired or just lost control.  However, with the new ruling from the federal appeals court, the rules are 10 hours or less on the road. It should help with safety. Let's hope.

One thing for sure, Parents Against Tired Truckers applauded the court's decision.

The Private Law Firm, LaBovick & LaBovick, Civil Justice Prosecutors, is a Plaintiff’s firm. The firm focuses on fighting for personal injury victim’s rights in Florida and on qui tam (whistleblower claims) nationwide.  Visit our firm website at www.LaBovick.com for more injury information