Any type of motor vehicle accident can yield serious repercussions. Consequences can include property damage, injury, and even death. When the accident involves a massive vehicle like an 18-wheeler truck, the consequences can be even more severe. If you need legal advice or representation for your trucking accident case, contact a Rockland County truck accident lawyer for help.
How Do Trucking Accidents Occur?
Because of the large size and weight of an 18-wheeler, you need a special license and training to operate one. Despite these protocols, trucking accidents happen every day across the United States. They may be the fault of the truck driver or a driver of another car around them. Some common causes of trucking accidents can include:
- Fatigue
- Truck drivers are often on the road for extensive periods and are forced to keep odd hours to meet restrictive delivery schedules. Driving while fatigued can be a serious hazard and falling asleep at the wheel can result in a detrimental crash.
- Speeding
- Speeding and reckless driving can be hazardous with any vehicle, but especially in such a large truck where it is hard to stop quickly.
- Distracted driving
- Eating, drinking, or adjusting the radio or GPS may only take a few seconds but in those moments anything can happen. A truck driver responsible for such a large vehicle cannot afford to take their eyes off the road.
- Road conditions
- Poorly maintained roads or bad weather conditions can result in loss of control of the vehicle.
- Inadequate training
- If the driver did not receive proper training whether it be driving techniques or safety procedures, it can lead to an accident.
Other passenger vehicles can be the cause of trucking accidents as well if they are negligent in their driving and fail to grasp the reality of the truck’s ability to slow down or break in time to avoid a collision. Some examples could be:
- Cutting off the truck
- Driving too close behind the truck or on the side where the driver has little or no visibility
- Driving on the right side of the truck when they are making a right turn
- Unsafe passing
- Improper merging
How Can I Avoid a Truck Accidents?
Whether you are a truck driver or a driver of a passenger vehicle, there are steps you can take to prevent accidents and create a safer driving environment for everyone. The most important way to prevent an accident is to follow the law. Drive within the speed limit, keep your attention on the road, and drive defensively. Keep a lengthy distance between your vehicle and the truck. Try to avoid sudden braking or lane changes, and use your blinkers appropriately. If you are driving a passenger vehicle, keep in mind the limitations of a truck driver. They cannot stop or speed up as quickly as a smaller car, they lack the visibility that passenger vehicles have, and they cannot make quick maneuvers without risk of losing control.
