Top 10 Common Causes of Truck Accidents in the USA

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Did you know that according to forecasts, road crashes are expected to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030 in the USA? 

Among every kind of accident, truck accidents are the most catastrophic. They are more likely to cause death and severe injury. When these accidents are between big trucks and small vehicles, the passengers of the smaller vehicle are more vulnerable to suffering. Therefore, driving a large truck is a challenging, as well as a responsible task. For this reason, truck drivers are supposed to receive extensive training and a special license. However, there are some common causes of truck accidents that still lead to terrible accidents.

Here are the top 10 causes of truck accidents in the USA you should know about to reduce your risk and take more safety measures while driving. For legal help contact a Florida truck accident lawyer.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in the USA

Careful investigations of truck accidents revealed the following common causes of truck accidents in the USA – 

• Driver Fatigue

A truck driver has a highly stressed and pressured job, especially in the logistics industry. They are often required to travel a long distance in a short period. To save time, they drive on a few hours of sleep. As a result, they lose their hold on coordination and concentration and take time to react to on-road activities. It is the main reason for falling asleep while driving. 

There are laws and regulations for shift timing, sleep schedule, and minimum break timings in one shift. However, some companies do not follow these rules and create problems. Hours of service violation lead to most truck accidents. 

• Speed

Trucks are so much larger than other vehicles, and speeding can be a big concern with it. With the momentum a large truck builds, the vehicle takes time to react, making changing speed and direction a slow process. The control of the driver on the large truck is comparatively less. 

Some trucking companies have implanted speed limiters and speed trackers, but not all companies do so. The truck driver who speeds is accountable for accidents. 

• Alcohol and Drugs

Trucking is already a high-risk job and consuming alcohol and drugs makes it even riskier. It is reported that some truck drivers use amphetamines and cocaine to keep themselves awake for longer periods while driving. These drugs make the driver stay awake unnaturally but indulge them in irresponsible behavior such as violating speeding laws, unsafe lane change, overtaking fellow vehicles, etc. Such activities often land them up in fatal accidents.

• Poor Training

There are a few set rules for how many minimum hours of training a truck driver should have to drive commercial vehicles on the road. Yet some drivers break the rule and manage to get on the road without the required training. 

Driving in bad weather conditions and immediate response to tragic and poor situations require experience and training. Driving large vehicles is a risk, and when immature drivers take control of these giants in their hands, the possibility of accidents increases. It is now becoming the most common reason for truck accidents in the USA.

• Poor Maintenance

The trucking companies must inspect each truck before it gets on the road, but unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in most cases. Maintaining the trucks regularly is associated with cost and time- companies do not generally want to spend their valuable time that can be used instead to make deliveries. So, sometimes the companies skip the routine maintenance and a truck is sent on the road, even if it is not safe for the trip. This way, employer negligence has also become one of the common reasons for truck accidents in the USA.

• Overtaking

In the pressure to complete tight deadlines, truck drivers speed up faster than the appropriate limit. They end up rash driving and overtake small passenger cars at speed. 

After looking at an 18-wheeler truck in our rear view mirror, the only thing we think is getting away from it as soon as possible. The panic may lead to swerving off the road into another lane, which may create the possibility of an accident. 

• Overloading 

There are a certain weight, size, length, width, and height strict regulations for carrying different kinds of materials in a truck. Still, some error or negligence makes the truck get overloaded making it likely to lean. If it gets too heavy and the load gets unbalanced, the material falls on the road, which causes the accident. If the truck is loaded with any hazardous material, it could create dangerous situations like fire. 

• Bad Weather Conditions 

Bad weather conditions can affect the truck driver’s visibility. It makes interpreting the driving situation immediately challenging for them, and they lose control of their vehicle on sudden closure. Rain, snow, ice, wind, and fog can cause trucks to get into accidents. In such cases, truck drivers or other vehicles are at risk of getting extensive injuries.

Contact The Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato

The victims of a truck accident or any other commercial vehicle have to endure financial, physical, and emotional loss. Reach out to Law Offices of Wolf and Pravato, a Miami personal injury lawyer, to help you win the compensation for your losses.