Everyone makes mistakes including truck drivers. However, they are professionals held to a higher standard than motorists. They drive enormous semi rigs, and mistakes due to their negligence have caused many devastating accidents. Four negligent causes of truck accidents are:
Incomplete Pre-Trip Inspections
Before driving out on the highway, the truck driver must do a thorough safety inspection. Over time, some drivers may cut corners on their pre-trip inspection. Some commonly overlooked items are dirty or missing reflectors, burnt out tail lights, and under inflated tires. Reflectors and tail lights prevent nighttime underride accidents, which may destroy the top half of a car. Under inflated tires cause blowouts that force the driver to
This lack of rest contributes to distraction while driving, which can cause accidents. Other common scenarios in which the employer might be held at least partially responsible for a truck accident include:
Without working lights or reflectors, the trailer of a semi truck at night is invisible. It's rare for a trucker to drive around with all of his trailer lights burnt out. On the other hand, lights and reflectors covered in dirt, mud, or salt are more common. Dirt covered lights and reflectors are just as hazardous as not having them at all.
Inexperience: Inexperience can cause accidents because people don’t know what they are doing and therefore can panic and cause collisions or can drive too fast for their skill level and cause collisions in that way. The worst thing people can do is drive to slow for example if someone is driving to slow they could merge into a roadway driving to slow and be rear ended. There have been many occurrences of people driving with inexperience and causing collision due to it. The easiest way to reduce collisions caused by inexperienced drivers is to have them start on a private road and a parking lot until they are comfortable in the vehicle then having them start driving in different conditions until they are
Just because you don't have a lot of driving experience under your belt, doesn't mean you're automatically at fault for a wreck. An accident can really complicate life in your immediate future, such as raising your insurance rates or even having your license restricted. If there were any extenuating circumstances that implicate the other driver, road conditions or faulty equipment, document these facts clearly and try to prove your innocence. A
Even an experienced commercial or owner operator truck driver who has sound judgment can make rookie mistakes that may cause a rollover when he's fatigued, distracted, impatient, rushed, or angry. These emotional, mental, or physical states make him vulnerable to these four common truck rollover scenarios:
Truck drivers are hard working and some of the friendliest people you can encounter while on the road. They are misunderstood and deserve to be understood by all who
One way to avoid speeding truck accidents is by getting out of the way of the truck. Small vehicle drivers usually assume that the truck driver will come to their senses and stop the truck or reduce the speed. Be safe by getting into a safe area away from the speeding truck.
Ask any driver who spends hours on the road each day driving a big rig, how safe the roads are and you are likely to get an ear full of the close calls they have had while driving. Driving a large eighteen-wheeler with a load on the back can be dangerous on its own. Add in some crazy drivers, obstacles in the road, and sketchy streets and you have a much more dangerous situation. With advancement in technology within the trucking industry, truckers can now feel safer than ever. It also doesn’t hurt that these improvements can help keep trucking insurance lower. Here are 4
In summary, it cannot be said that exact cause of most severe traffic accidents are known with certainty but it is believed that speeding and drinking, jointly or separately, play some role in the events that lead up to those accidents. Also to blame, in many instances, are the design of the highway, the condition of the weather, the maintenance of the vehicle, the time of the day (many severe accidents occur at dusk, with poor lighting and tired drivers), and the presence of radar detectors. A study by the Ohio State Police found that radar detectors were present in at least one of the vehicles involved in 69% of all severe traffic accidents on the highways of that state in 2005. Studies in other states have confirmed that finding, with some estimates of the relationship running as high as 75%.
That raises the question of why we do not apply the same standards to all drivers. In the words of Dr. Dorie Apollonio, a professor of health policy at University of California, San Francisco, “the people hit end up just as dead” (Apollonio). True, crashes involving commercial trucks are not pretty. However, no car accident ever is. In the same vein, I believe that semi trucks are not the only dangerous thing on the road. In the hands of a drunk driver, any vehicle can become deadly. That said, we should apply the same standards to everyday drivers.
There are several distractions for drivers today, cell phones, passengers, even simple things like the radio. But did you know that these distractions cause approximately 10% of crashes, being potentially fatal, for drivers today. Wether these drivers are teenagers or adults distracted driving is a problem on Utah’s roads. For teenagers most fatal crashes are caused by driving off the road. For adults speeding is the leading cause of fatal crashes. Personally I find it interesting when looking at the Top five leading causes of death on Utah roads, the third leading cause is unrestrained occupants, while the fifth is distracted and drunk driving. I would have thought that drunk driving would cause more deaths than Speeding, failure to keep in
1. Most highway-rail crashes are the result of driver error. Some drivers ignore the signs and attempt to beat the train.
Whenever People are on the road they can encounter many types of drivers good and bad. The good drives will show anyone respect when on the road with them, by never pulling out in front of someone will always use traffic signals and never getting distracted. On the other hand, bad drives have little of this qualities that the good drives have, making them a danger to everyone on the road. Bad drives can be places into three major categories disrespectful, unfocused, and lastly under the influence of a substance.
While many deadly vehicle wrecks involve two or more vehicles crashing into each other, a recent single-car crash demonstrates why it is important to be a cautious driver even when there are not other vehicles around you. The crash, resulting in the death of a 14-year-old boy and injuries to three other people, happened when the driver came to the top of a hill at a high speed. The man lost control of his vehicle and ended up going off the side of the road and crashing. There are several things you should do to ensure a safer driving experience whenever you are on the road.
Third reason of accidents on the road is teenage drivers. “2,739 teenagers died in car accidents in the United States during 2008 ", (drivesteady.com). Some teenagers cause fatal accidents, because of immaturity and lack of experience. Teenagers are very impulsive. Although not intending to hurt anyone, they sometimes drive very aggressively. It is not difficult to find teenagers driving with one hand on the steering wheel, seat pushed back, and with loud music playing. In traffic they go wild, trying to seek attention. They underestimate the risk of what they are doing. All these acts result in serious consequences on the road. Many accidents of young drivers result from their own mistakes.