Causes Of Trucking Accidents
An accident with an eighteen-wheeler can result in serious injuries or death. Eighteen-wheelers and semi-trucks take longer to stop and maneuver than smaller cars, and therefore, there often isn’t enough time to stop an accident when something goes wrong. Studies have shown that in addition to bad weather conditions, one of the leading causes of large truck accidents is driver error.
What can cause this?
Driver fatigue or exhaustion, drunk driving, distracted driving, and speeding are all causes of accidents or near-miss events with large trucks. There are laws prohibiting drunk driving, especially for commercial drivers, as well as laws against speeding and distracting activities such as texting and driving. A commercial driver can be arrested for drunk driving if their blood alcohol concentration level is 0.04 percent, compared to the 0.08 percent for other motorists.
Additionally, federal regulations limit the number of hours truck drivers can continuously drive without breaks. These regulations are supposed to limit driver fatigue, and ensure drivers are alert and focused on the road. The number of hours a driver drives and the number of breaks taken is information that is supposed to be recorded in driver logs. While some companies may keep this information in hard copy log books, there is technology that allows the electronic logging of this information automatically.
Truck drivers must also be specially licensed to drive commercial trucks of large sizes with heavy loads, and the use of an improperly trained driver can seriously endanger other drivers’ lives.
Failure to abide by state or federal law regarding truck operations can be used as evidence of negligence in a personal injury suit against a negligent driver who caused an accident. If the trucking company was complicit with the driver’s violation of the law, the company could be required to pay additional compensation for its behavior.
Drivers in smaller cars driving alongside or behind semi-trucks should take steps to avoid accidents by following the rules of the road and being careful to always give the truck additional room to maneuver. This is especially important when driving in bad weather which can lead to decreased visibility.
Contact Us For Legal Assistance
If you or a loved one was involved in an accident with a semi-truck or an eighteen wheeler, you need to contact an attorney with experience dealing with truck accidents before accepting a settlement that may not cover all your injuries. Contact the experienced tractor trailer accident attorneys at the Wall Huntington Law Firm in Wichita, Kansas by calling 316-265-6000.