Commercial Vehicles and Tractor Trailer Accidents:
When is negligence involved?
Driving in and of itself can be a very dangerous activity. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of accidental death in the United States, accounting for 44.3% of deaths every year. A significant number of these are due to commercial truck and tractor trailer accidents.
According to the United States Department of Transportation, 5,000 fatalities occur out of every 500,000 truck accidents each year. This is due in part to size difference between these trucks and commercial vehicles. The average passenger car or truck weighs about 1.5 tons; the average 18-wheeler weighs anywhere from 60 to 80 tons. When a collision occurs, the results are often disastrous.
Accidents between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles can be the fault of either party. Often, these accidents occur because passenger vehicles do not fully understand the stopping, braking, and accelerating capabilities of these large trucks. However, many of these accidents are due to commercial driver error and negligence.
Driver negligence can be the result of many different things. The trucking industry often pays drivers per mile driven. Therefore, truck drivers have an incentive to drive more miles per day than may be safe. If drivers try to push harder and drive faster each day, they may begin to experience driver fatigue. As with any person, fatigue limits the ability to operate a motor vehicle, which can lead to accidents.
Many drivers frequently engage in other unsafe driving practices. Commercial vehicle drivers may choose to drive aggressively and unsafely. Drivers may speed, fail to yield, run off the road, or even choose to use stimulants, alcohol, or illegal drugs while driving.
Accidents may also occur due to maintenance problems on the trucks themselves. Improperly maintained vehicles are unsafe vehicles. A passenger car driving next to a large 18-wheeler may be involved in a fatal accident that is neither the truck driver nor the other driver’s fault. Trucking companies are required to maintain safe vehicles, and failure to do so both results in accidents and is an act of negligence.
If you have been involved in an accident involving a tractor trailer may be due to truck driver error or negligence, contact a lawyer immediately.