Mississippi residents may have heard that car accident deaths increased significantly in 2015. The annual number of motor vehicle fatalities in 2015 was 35,092, a 7 percent increase from the year before. A survey taken by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety determined that far more than half of drivers engage in risky behavior such as running red lights, texting while driving and speeding.

While the AAA survey found that drivers in all age groups are sometimes reckless behind the wheel, one age group, in particular, was found to be the most reckless. Approximately 88 percent of survey respondents between the ages of 19 and 24 admitted that they had engaged in risky driving behavior during the previous month. Almost half of drivers in that age group said that they had run a red light, and nearly 60 percent of these drivers said that they had sent texts or emails while driving.

According to the AAA survey, many of the drivers of all age groups who admitted to engaging in risky driving behaviors thought that it was unacceptable. Almost all drivers said that it is unacceptable to run a red light, but more than one-third of the drivers that were surveyed admitted that they had run a red light during the past month.

Statistics have shown that human behavior is a factor in most motor vehicle accidents. People who have been injured in a collision caused by a driver who was speeding, distracted by a cellphone or negligent in some other fashion may want to have a lawyer’s help when seeking compensation for their medical bills and other losses.

A rule called Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Vehicle Operators was set to take effect on Feb. 6. However, truckers in Mississippi and elsewhere in the nation may have heard that its implementation has been pushed back until at least March 21. This delay is due to President Donald Trump ordering a 60-day freeze on new regulations and a delay on published rules that had yet to be implemented.

The new rule involves any trucker who applies for a commercial driver’s license on or after Feb. 7, 2020. Although the implementation of the rule may be delayed, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is not pushing back the compliance date. The rule requires individuals who obtain CDLs on or after the compliance date to undergo a core classroom curriculum in addition to getting experience behind the wheel.

However, there is no minimum amount of time that a new trucker must spend behind the wheel prior to getting his or her license. While a draft rule proposed a 30-hour limit, it was eliminated from the final rule. Those who are applying for CDLs when the rule becomes official must first practice with trainers belonging to the newly formed national registry.

People who are injured in truck accidents caused by truck drivers may be entitled to compensation. Accident victims may be entitled to recoup any medical costs incurred as well as lost wages or lost future earnings. If truck company owners failed to properly train their drivers or encouraged them to drive while tired, the owners may also be liable for any damages suffered by an injured victim in a truck accident. Crash victims may be entitled to receive compensation through a negotiated settlement or jury award.