Harker Heights Legal Issues Blog

The economy in Galveston is largely split between being dependent upon the refineries and the tourists. Even though most people think of this area for the beaches, the men and women who depend on the oil industry for employment don't always see it as a relaxing destination.

There are many different risks that refinery workers face on a daily basis. Companies work hard to ensure that the employees remain safe but accidents and injuries still occur. Improvements in safety procedures and guidelines are helping to improve worker safety, but there is still a chance of injury in this sector.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will be conducting roadside inspections throughout Texas and the rest of the U.S. during Brake Safety Week. This yearly event has been scheduled for Sept. 16-22 and will cover all commercial motor vehicles, including big rigs, buses and work vans. Drivers will want to ensure that their brake systems are properly installed and routinely maintained; that way, they keep themselves and others safe.

It's especially important for large trucks to be free of brake problems. Over 32 percent of large trucks with pre-collision violations had braking issues, according to the Large Truck Crash Causation Study. This study, conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also found that trucks were 50 percent more likely to have brake violations after a brake-critical crash than after a crash where braking capacity was secondary.

The state of Texas takes drunk driving, also known as DWI, very seriously. As such, those who are accused of driving while intoxicated could face punishments that may range from a variety of fines to major jail sentences. Those who have a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more are legally considered to be intoxicated. Furthermore, those with lower BAC levels who drive while impaired can still face charges.

The punishments for DWI become more severe based on the number of previous DWI convictions a person has. A first offense, for example, can result in three to 180 days in jail, a maximum fine of $2,000, a loss of driver's license for a maximum of a year and an annual fee of up to $2,000 for three years to keep a drivers license. Those punishments can be potentially doubled if the offender is convicted of a second DWI offense. For a third DWI offense, the person could face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years in addition to major fines.

Drivers in Texas know how dangerous it can be to share the road with commercial trucks and buses. Unfortunately, large truck accidents appear to be on the rise. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published a report showing a 3 percent increase in fatal truck crashes from 2015 to 2016. This is the administration's most detailed analysis yet of crash data.

Fatal crashes involved a total of 4,213 large trucks in 2016; this is compared to 4,074 in 2015. The number of actual fatalities rose from 4,094 to 4,317. Of that total, 722 were large truck occupants; this is up from 665 in 2015. The number of non-fatal crashes jumped from 83,000 to 104,000, with over 145,000 reported injuries.