If you are ever the victim of a truck accident, you know you will most likely be seriously injured or even killed due to the impact of the 80,000-pound truck. Around 500,000 trucking accidents occur every year in the U.S. and approximately 5,000 trucking accidents result in fatalities. To learn more about how to prevent truck accidents, here are five common causes of truck accidents:
- Drug use: In a recent study, the most common cause of truck accidents wasn’t driver fatigue, but drug use. In 26 percent of the truck accidents, prescription drugs or illicit drugs affected the truck driver’s reaction time.
- Speeding: If a truck is speeding, since it weighs so much it usually causes fatal truck accidents if it hits another vehicle. Often truck drivers speed because they want to get to their destination on time, but it’s not worth it if a driver causes a deadly truck accident.
- Driver Fatigue: One of the most common causes of truck accidents is when a truck driver falls asleep at the wheel, or is so tired they aren’t alert enough to prevent a truck accident. It’s vital that truck drivers stop driving the moment they feel fatigue.
- Truck Equipment Failure: If the truck accident isn’t caused by driver error, it’s usually because the truck had equipment problems. The problems can range from design and manufacturing errors like defective tires or failure to provide reverse-detection warning devices, or mechanical issues such as improperly maintained brakes or tires.
- Weather Conditions: Weather conditions can make it hard for a truck to stop fast enough to prevent a truck accident. Many times truck drivers don’t slow down enough in bad weather because they think they will be fine, but instead they get in a tragic truck accident.
Even if you follow truck safety tips, many others don’t. If you or a loved one were a victim of a Texas truck accident due to the negligence of a driver, you deserve justice and compensation for you emotional and physical turmoil. Contact the Dallas truck accident attorneys at Crowe, Arnold & Majors, LLP and set-up your free, no-obligation consultation today.
