In order for the goods we purchase to make it to us, they need to be delivered to the stores we shop in or directly to our doorstep. Either way, just about all the goods we buy will make their way to us via commercial trucks.
In a consumer-driven culture such as ours, that means there will be a lot of trucks on the road. With so many large trucks on U.S. roads, accidents are bound to happen. Keep reading to learn about the leading causes of truck accidents.
Truck Drivers Don’t Cause All The Accidents
In fact, truck drivers tend to cause a relatively low number of the accidents they’re involved in. Since truckers do this for a living, most of them are skilled and patient drivers.
When Passenger Cars are Responsible
The following are some ways that passenger vehicle drivers cause accidents with commercial trucks:
- Driving in the truck’s “no-zones” (blind spots).
- Suddenly changing lanes in front of a truck.
- Driving to the right of a truck that’s turning right.
- Misjudging an approaching truck’s speed at an intersection, and turning left in front of it.
- Improperly merging into traffic, forcing a truck to maneuver or brake rapidly.
- Neglecting to slow down or speed up when a truck changes lanes or merges.
- Risky passing, especially with inadequate headway.
- Passing a truck, then getting blown out of position by air turbulence or cross-wind.
- Entering traffic from the roadside ahead or a truck without sufficiently accelerating.
- Driving between commercial trucks.
- Abandoning a vehicle in a driving lane, or neglecting to move a disabled vehicle entirely off the highway and onto the shoulder.
When Trucks are Responsible
The following are some ways that commercial truck drivers cause accidents with other vehicles:
- Insufficient training with respect to:
- Driving technique
- Safety concerns
- Defensive driving
- Compensation systems that motivate drivers to travel at faster speeds and drive longer consecutive hours than is typically recommended.
- Impractical schedules and projections of trucking companies that urge drivers to rush, regardless of the safety hazards involved.
We’re Here to Help
At Benoit Law Firm, PLLC, our attorneys are highly skilled in the realm of truck accident personal injury law, and we have helped many other people just like you obtain justice. Let us see if we can help you, too. Don’t wait— contact our office with your case right away.
Call the Charlotte lawyers at Benoit Law Firm, PLLC today at (877) 600-7212 to speak with an attorney about your personal injury case.