Learn the Most Common Causes of Trucking Accidents to Keep Your Family Safe
Over the last few years, state and federal governments have made efforts to tighten regulations on the commercial trucking industry. After years of shirking the rules, lawmakers and businessmen alike were sick of skyrocketing rates of trucking accidents and the resulting car accident compensation claims that were keeping truck accident lawyers employed but causing a lot of economic damage to trucking companies.
Unfortunately, according to a new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the rate of tractor-trailer accidents has increased by 18% since those reforms were enacted, begging the question of whether or not there is anything we can do to cut down the rate of auto accident injury claims and deaths because of trucking accidents. Quite simply, by educating drivers on some of the most common causes of trucking accidents, we can cut down the number of accidents occurring every year, thereby reducing people’s need to seek out truck accident law firms to help them find justice for their losses, financial or personal.
Three of the Most Common Causes of Tractor-Trailer Accidents
- Driving in Truckers’ Blind Spots
- Driving Errors by Truckers
- Inclement Weather is a Huge Factor
Of all the accidents that truck accident law firms see, a huge percentage are caused by drivers who don’t realize they are in a truck’s blind spot. As Road Safe America points out, a third of all accidents happen when truckers don’t realize you’re in their so-called “no zone,” an area including the back and sides of their trailers, where they can’t see you. Keep yourself safe by never hovering in this area when you drive.
As any truck accident law firm can tell you, the number one cause of trucking accidents in the U.S. is driving errors on the part of truck drivers. As statistics from NOLO.com show, truck drivers are 10-times more likely to cause an accident than any other driver on the road. Truckers’ driving ability is out of your hands, but if you pay attention and you notice they swerve or speed up and slow down a lot, you’ll know that you don’t want to be around that truck for longer than you have to be.
You might be surprised how many auto accidents, involving trucks or otherwise, are caused by heavy snow, rain, and wind. That’s why one of State Farm Insurance’s biggest recommendations for avoiding an accident is to simply pay attention to the weather. Again, you can’t do anything to control another driver, but you can be a smarter, safer driver for yourself.
Do you work for an auto accident law firm? What other tips can you give our readers on avoiding accidents with commercial trucks? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below. This is a great source for more.
