New Bill Will Make Texas Highways More Dangerous and Shift Insurance Liability from Guilty Trucking Companies to Individual Drivers and Small Businesses
AUSTIN, TEXAS – March 8, 2021 – While most Texans are still financially recovering from the COVID-10 pandemic and the crippling winter storm, a group of Texas legislators are trying to pass sweeping new laws that will benefit big trucking companies and commercial insurance carriers.
Texas House Bill 19 and Texas Senate Bill 207 will go into committee meetings starting Tuesday, March 9 at the Texas Capital and are written to benefit big trucking and insurance companies, while shifting trucking liability to individual consumers. All Texas drivers will pay higher insurance premiums for their automotive policies. Their personal medical insurance will rise as well. The proposed legislation is set to go into effect September 1, 2021.
“House Bill 19 is a disaster for Texans,” said Austin Injury Attorney Thomas J. Henry. “Texas already leads the nation in trucking accident injuries and deaths. By allowing trucking companies to avoid accountability, our state legislators are making Texas roads even less safe.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Crash Statistics ‘Summary Report’ states that Texas has led the nation with the largest truck crashes for the last five consecutive years since 2016. “Nothing in these legislative bills does anything to reduce commercial truck accidents,” Henry added.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) tallied over 39,000 commercial vehicle crashes, 613 deaths and another 6,204 people were injured in 2019. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s review of fatal crashes in 2018 found that 305 truck drivers tested positive for at least one drug in their system.
A leading cause of accidents is the sheer volume of trucking traffic along IH-35 which originates in Laredo, Texas. Over 2,300,000 commercial trucks enter the U.S. and travel up through San Antonio, Austin and the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Texas residents are asked to contact their respective legislators immediately to stop this legislation from passing. Additionally, Thomas J. Henry has asked all Texans to sign a petition at KeepTexasSafe.com and send a message to our elected political leaders.
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About Thomas J. Henry Law Firm
Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys is one of the largest plaintiff’s personal injury firms in the country. The firm currently houses more than 200 attorneys and 350 supporting staff in six office locations across Texas in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Austin. For more information about Thomas J. Henry please visit thomasjhenrylaw.com
