Five Most Common Causes of Trucking Accidents

Trucking accidents are scary and can be stressful to overcome. Here is a closer look at a few types.

1. Fatigued Driving

Truck drivers are under intense pressure to deliver and cover as many miles as possible. Though trucking companies are saying to their employees that they need to value safety over everything, it hasn’t quelled the pressure they are under. Plus, truck drivers spend whole days staring into the same thing, which can have a hypnotic or soporific effect. It takes seconds falling asleep behind the wheel to veer just enough to damage another car or take the life of a person inside of it. Trucking companies urge their employees to take breaks, but fatigued driving continues to be a threat to all who go on the roads. Some drivers work at least 12 hours a day, and as many as 15 to 16. All that time, day after day, leads to dangerous fatigue.

2. Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is something that affects all people. While truck drivers are more likely to be affected by exhaustion, they still can be distracted by cell phones, which are the top distraction for most drivers. Truck drivers spend hours on the road and may feel confident on a long, straight stretch of asphalt to check a text message. After several hours over several days on the road, it’s easy to pick up a little device on the seat next to you to break the momentum. Unfortunately, that’s precisely how an accident can happen.

3. Accidents Caused By Passenger Vehicles

There is a common misconception that trucks are more dangerous than passenger cars, but that’s a myth. In fact, it is zippy little cars that can sneak up and cut off trucks. Trucks tend to go slower because of inertia, and some people take advantage of this in traffic by trying to sneak into the space in front of the truck, not realizing that inertia also means that an object in motion with a lot of mass needs more space to brake. If a truck driver allotted enough space between them and the vehicle in front of them, then a smaller car getting in between can put all the vehicles in the vicinity in danger.

4. Bad Weather

Of course, driving on wet roads is dangerous for all motorists, but particularly for trucks. Trucks are very large and flat, and high winds can push them and make them exceptionally difficult to control. That is why drivers need to proceed slowly and cautiously when driving in bad weather.

5. Poor Hiring Practices

While there are academic programs where drivers learn how to properly drive a truck, the laws that affect them and earn their commercial driving license (CDL). However, not all trainers and instructors take this very important training seriously. Or sometimes companies don’t conduct thorough background checks or hire people with a CDL. Unfortunately, this means that there are people on the road who are incompetent, or could possibly have a DUI or other driving violations on their record.

What To Do If You’re In An Accident

It is important to take the correct next steps after a trucking accident, as your actions and subsequent decisions can have a major impact on your case. Truck accident lawyer Ray Lopez can answer all your questions during this stressful time and definitely before talking to other attorneys or the insurance company. Get the facts and right legal advice, so you can get back on the road