Accidents can feel random, but they are far from it. In fact, accidents are not usually accidents at all, but the product of another person’s decision to act in a negligent or reckless manner. They may not have intended for the resulting damage, but the negligent individual still, at some point, made a poor decision not to be as safe as possible to help ensure others remained safe. Truck accidents, for instance, cause terrible destruction and devastating injuries. These crashes, however, stem from poor decisions. There are behaviors and choices truck drivers make that cause or greatly increase the risk of an accident occurring.
What Factors Could Increase the Risk of a Truck Accident?
When we referred to “trucks” here, we do not mean your run-of-the-mill, standard trucks you can pick up at your local car dealership. We are talking about big rigs, semi-trucks, those oversized trucks used to haul goods to various distributors across the country. While so much of our economy and supply chain depends on these huge vehicles, they are dangerous, nonetheless. The immense size and weight of semi-trucks can easily spell disaster in any crash.
Because of the devastation a semi-truck can all too easily cause on the roadway, you would think drivers of these huge vehicles would take every precaution to help avoid a crash. While this does hold true in many cases, and there are federal regulations in place to regulate these drivers, there are still many risky behaviors truck drivers engage in that can increase the risk of an accident.
Fatigue, for instance, is a factor that can greatly increase the risk of a truck accident occurring. Semi-truck drivers are on the road for long stretches of time, even when they are still within their daily driving limits set by federal regulations. Fatigued driving is tired driving. It is sleepy driving. It can mean a driver’s eyelids getting very heavy. It can mean slowed reaction time and a general lack of awareness of what is going on around them. All of this means that fatigued truck driving is incredibly dangerous and can easily lead to a crash.
Truck drivers are also not immune to engaging in reckless driving behaviors that drivers of all vehicle types can gravitate towards despite their inherent dangers. All of these behaviors can greatly increase the risk of a crash. Distracted driving, for instance, is a reckless driving behavior. It means engaging in any activity that takes the driver’s full attention away from the task of safely operating the vehicle. This can be texting, eating, talking to passengers, and a variety of other things. Reckless driving behaviors may also include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Excessive lane changing
Truck drivers are also responsible for making sure their rigs are properly maintained. Failure to do so can increase the risk of a crash when they are on the road. The truck should be regularly inspected and necessary maintenance measures should be observed. Any repairs needed should be done so right away as ignoring repairs can render the truck unsafe for driving purposes.
Kentucky Personal Injury Attorneys
If you have been injured in a truck accident, do not delay in reaching out to the team at Dickman Law. We will begin immediate work on pursuing your legal right to be fairly compensated for your losses. Contact us today.
Posted in: Truck Accidents