Approximately 5000 people die in semi truck accidents each year in the United States. Most of those victims were in passenger cars and pickup trucks which were struck by a big rig. This article discusses the three major causes of semi truck accidents.
Statistical records show that about 700 drivers and passengers of heavy trucks die annually, while an annual death toll of about 5000 people in cars and other passenger vehicles have in collision with heavy trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has informed the public about the dangers inherent in over-loading of trucks and putting a fatigued or an inexperienced driver behind the wheel.
Motor carrier management information system (MCMIS) rates a truck “Large” when its gross weight rating (GVWR) exceeds 10,000 pounds. 64 percent of major truck crashes with heavy fatalities involve tractor-trailer trucks that are pulling one trailer, 32 percent of those crashes involved single-unit trucks and fewer than 4 percent of those involved multi-trailer vehicles.
Primarily, trucks are major carriers in the shipment and transportation of goods. Since trucks are much larger than other vehicles on the road, when accidents occur, the results are usually fatal and tragic. No matter the circumstances surrounding the accident or what type of accident it is, it is very important that when they occur, you should seek proper medical treatment and knowledgeable attorney who is conversant with handling 18 wheeler accidents to protect your rights and interests.
Causes of Truck and Semi-Truck Accidents
Research has shown the top three causes of semi-truck accident. Some of the major causes of truck and semi-truck accidents include:
• Driver tiredness and fatigue
• Poor or faulty maintenance practices
• Distracted driving
• Technical malfunction
• Brake failure or out of service brakes
• Tire blowouts
• Override accidents
• Runaway trailers
• Overloaded trailers/ semi-trucks
• Jack-knifing
• Driver error
• Violation of the Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
Of the above causes, the three top reasons are the causes of trucks and semi-trucks accidents very often than others. These are:
• Driver tiredness and fatigue: It is always a very stressful job driving a semi-truck and a common practice to pay drivers by the mile, which in essence means that the more distance a driver travels, the higher the paycheck. Great. But on the downside, this sometimes pushes the drivers to stay behind the wheel far longer than safe. Commercial drivers tend to set and meet very unreasonable deadlines, which eventually lead to tiredness, fatigue, and being sleeping while driving and the loss of concentration can be deadly.
• Poor or faulty maintenance practices: Poor maintenance practices are easy culprits of truck accidents. These may be due in part to poor braking system, worn out tires reducing traction on the road, malfunctioning engine and an unsafe big rig, to mention a few. Truck maintenance is not a joke; though the cost of proper maintenance can cut into profits, the prudent motor carrier understands that proper maintenance can save lives and reduce down time of the fleet.
• Distracted driving: This is typical of drivers who spend longer hours on the road or finding themselves in traffic, which may cause some form of boredom. And in order to escape this boredom, the drivers try alternative methods of entertainment and “busyness” in the inclusion of a number of devices like radios, music iPods, use of cell phones etc. Unfortunately, these devices can be major distractions that may lead up to accidents. The use of cell phones was recently banned for commercial truck drivers while driving. Not only talking on the phone, but also texting is forbidden under the new federal ban on cell phone use by professional truck. The ban will save a significant number of lives even though many professional drivers will not comply with the rule.
