The 6 Leading Causes Of Trucking Accidents You Need To Be Aware Of
Truck accidents are more terrifying because they are more likely to lead to death or severe injury to the passengers than a normal collision of two cars. In addition, a trailer or semi-truck weighs over 30,000 pounds, which shows that your average passenger car is not to be compared. A normal passenger car averagely weighs around 4,000 pounds.
Apart from the weight, a commercial truck driver is normally up in the truck, while a car driver is closer to the ground. Below, we’ll be reading through 6 leading causes of trucking accidents that you should be aware of.
Driver Fatigue
Driving a truck is a pressurized and stressful job. In most cases, a driver must drop off goods at a far destination within a short period. This implies that the driver is driving a long distance with short breaks and rest.
Also, the miles needed to be covered may require a couple of days on the road, and truck drivers are left with few hours of sleep. Due to lack of quality sleep, they lose their concentration and fail to react to road situations on time, including the awful possibility of dozing off while manning the wheels.
There are rules concerning how long a truck driver should drive in a shift, required sleep time, and mandatory rest breaks. However, there are trucking companies that sideline these rules, which makes driver fatigue a significant problem.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a major issue everywhere, including local roads and highways. Distracted driving is any activity, given that it alters the attention of the driver. Experienced personal injury attorneys in Louisiana can further explain how this level of negligence can lead to horrific crashes. For instance, the driver may be distracted by his phone or an external object like a mirror, something that could have been easily avoided if they were paying full attention to the road.
While driving for a very long distance, it can seem to be boring. While driving, a driver may lose a radio signal, which cuts the little entertainment the driver is having and makes the journey even more boring. Due to boredom, the driver might be forced to start texting or go through their phone to find a playlist, eating or drinking, or engaging in any activity to kill the boredom. Even with a good radio signal, reaching for the radio dials takes the driver’s attention away from the road.
No matter what the reason is, if you, fortunately, survived the truck accident, your next step should be to seek legal and medical help. This is the ideal way to get the deserving claim. You can read more information here about how to start rolling the ball. Plus, don’t forget to jot down all details of the accident to support your case.
Drug And Alcohol Intoxication
The consumption of illegal or hard drugs and alcohol amongst truck drivers is usually rare due to frequent sweeps by the authority. You might see trucking companies as not having many cases of drug and alcohol abuse, but they often do. For example, some drivers make use of amphetamines and cocaine to remain awake and active while driving. If you have a trucking accident caused by an intoxicated driver, you should contact your attorney from https://the702firm.com/truck-accident-lawyer/truck-driver-fatigue/ to help get the justice you deserve.
Speeding And Aggressive Driving
In most cases, for a driver to deliver goods on time may seem difficult, but they keep trying. Due to their pressure to meet deadlines, a driver might begin to drive above the appropriate speed limit for a vehicle of that size or drive faster on a road that is not suitable for speed. With the fear of losing a job due to late delivery, truck drivers are more likely to speed up to reach their destination in time. While driving and you see an 18 wheeler from your rear mirror speeding up to you, you should do everything necessary to leave the way. Most times, getting out of the way suggests moving into another lane quickly, resulting in an accident.
Lack Of Training And Maintenance
There are rules concerning the hours of training a driver must take before handling a commercial vehicle, yet some drivers make it to the road without meeting the rules.
Bad weather occurs everywhere, be it snow or rain. It takes a qualified driver to drive safely through bad weather conditions, mostly if driving a truck. A truck driver needs to drive slow in bad weather conditions to avoid jackknifing or skidding. If a truck driver is poorly trained to handle bad weather conditions, they put the lives of the driver and other road users at risk.
The company should also ensure that each truck is inspected before it leaves for the road, but most companies overlook this particular rule. There are expenses attached to maintenance, and it consumes enough time to make profitable deliveries. So in most cases, maintenance is sidelined, and they send out a truck without making sure it’s capable of the journey.
Bad Cargo Loading
This question may be going through your mind now: can cargo loading affect a truck driver?
Before goods are loaded in a truck, they must be checked for weight, length, and height. In addition, if the truck is moving any hazardous material, there will be strict rules for handling it.
If all rules are followed properly, mistakes are inevitable. Errors could occur, be it heavy loads, faulty engine, tire burst, or the driver’s fault, resulting in an accident. If the load falls off while a truck driver is driving, it’s likely to cause an accident. Applicable to hazardous materials that could catch fire or cause other terrifying situations.
