Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Grand Prairie
Being hit by a truck is different than being hit by a car. If a person has been injured in a truck accident, there are many more legal considerations. A truck collision case may be worth a lot more than a car accident. In many cases, an insurance carrier representing a commercial truck operator or business will offer the insured party some inadequate sum of money right away. This will prevent any case from developing and ensure the parties at fault can avoid large payout before agreeing to anything. So, it is always important to consult with a trusted truck accident lawyer. Speak to an experienced attorney about the common causes of truck accidents in Grand Prairie.
Causes of Truck Collisions
Truck collisions often occur due to a myriad of reasons. Some of the common causes of truck accidents include speeding, drunk driving, human error, and negligence.
Fatigue
Most common cause of truck accidents is fatigue by overworked drivers. Most truck drivers normally drive over long distances for many hours with little rest in between. This is often attributed to the owners of trucking companies demanding the delivery of goods to certain destinations within a short period of time.
Truckers can find themselves under a lot of pressure to deliver within the set deadlines. They get little quality sleep over the course of the journey. Fatigue could cause drivers to lose concentration, coordination, and sometimes they end up falling asleep at the wheel.
Use of Drugs And Alcohol
Many truck drivers have been found guilty of using alcohol and other drugs while on the job. In some circumstances, drivers may only take these substances at stops and towns across the country while others go a step further and carry illegal substances with them while driving.
Regardless of how drivers use these substances, their driving becomes impaired, and they can easily cause accidents. Not only illegal drugs that can lead to accidents on the road. Some prescription drugs that drivers may be using also have the effect of impairing their coordination and judgment, leading to road accidents.
Poor Training and Truck Maintenance
Poor driver training and truck maintenance are also common causes of collisions. Before truck drivers can be allowed to drive huge commercial vehicles on the roadways, they are required to put in a certain amount of training to meet minimum requirements. However, not all truck drivers adhere to the guidelines.
Often, there are poorly trained truck drivers with little experience behind the wheel. Also, truck drivers are required by law to see to it that their trucks are in good working condition before hitting the road. However, they do not normally do this due to the cost involved and the time it takes to maintain the trucks, time that could be used to make those deliveries, poorly maintained trucks being driven by poorly trained drivers is another big cause of trucking accidents.
Speeding and Overtaking
Truck drivers or truck owners usually demand the truck drivers reach destinations within a certain time period. This is not always achievable due to many factors, including poor weather conditions and traffic collisions in some sections of the road.
However, due to the immense pressure the drivers are put under to meet unrealistic deadlines, as well as the risks they face in losing their jobs. The drivers often speed, overtaking by these big trucks at breakneck speed forces oncoming drivers and smaller cars to veer off the road leading to crashes, many of which are fatal.
Over speeding can also have the effect of significantly reducing reaction time. When truckers are driving at high speeds, drivers may be required to break immediately or suddenly veer into another section of the road when at high speed, it’s just not always possible.
Distracted Drivers
In the course of driving for many hours over long distances, drivers get bored and frequently look for something to keep them occupied. The urge to kill the boredom leads them to do several things. Most commonly is using their phones to read or reply to text messages or emails, make phone calls, or even visit their social media sites.
Changing the radio station while on the road has also been attributed to distracting drivers leading to accidents. When on the road in the country, the reception of some radio stations is poor in certain areas. This causes the drivers to reach over their radios and find the station they listen to. This happens even when truckers are on the freeway, driving at a high speed. Even a fraction of a second when a driver takes their eyes off the road could be the difference between safety and causing an accident.
Let a Grand Prairie Truck Accident Attorney Help Today
A truck accident can happen due to many different reasons. Fortunately, an experienced truck accident attorney could help. Reach out to a skilled lawyer to learn about the common causes of truck accidents in Grand Prairie.