The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the pending implementation of a new program to allow truck drivers to contest accidents for which they were not at fault. Under the “Crash Preventability Demonstration Program,” a driver can use the DataQ system to request that an accident be removed from his or her BASIC safety score. If the reviewers agree, the BASIC score will be recalculated.
Under the program, drivers will be able to contest four specific types of accidents: 1) the driver’s truck was struck by another motorist who was operating under the influence; 2) the driver’s truck was hit while it was stopped or parked 3) the driver was hit by another motorist traveling in the wrong direction; or 4) the driver was rear-ended. FMCSA is also considering allowing drivers to contest accidents involving animal strikes, suicide by truck or infrastructure failure.
Regulators do not yet have a start date for the program but say it will last two years once implemented. After that time, they will use data regarding the types and numbers of wrecks removed from CSA scores to determine a course of action for future BASIC score determinations.
FMCSA plans to post official notice of the program on the Federal Register in the near future and is seeking comments on the plan.
