Every year, there are around 400,000 truck accidents that take place across the country. More than 4,000 of these accidents are fatal. Another 100,000 results in truck accident injuries.
If you’re ever involved in a truck accident, you should think about trying to hire a lawyer to assist you. A truck accident lawyer might be able to help you get your hands on the compensation you’ll need to cover medical costs and auto repairs.
You should also make it your mission to avoid getting into truck accidents over the course of your life. One way you can do this is by learning about the different causes of truck accidents.
Here are a handful of the most common causes of truck accidents and what you can do to steer clear of them.
Tailgating
Generally speaking, you should try not to tailgate any vehicles when you’re out on the road. If a vehicle makes a sudden stop while you’re tailgating it, it could be catastrophic for both you and the driver of that vehicle.
It’s an especially bad idea to tailgate a truck. So many of the truck accidents that take place every year are the direct result of tailgating.
When you tailgate a truck, a truck driver usually won’t be able to see you. This could lead to them breaking harder than they might have to and not giving you enough time to stop when you’re right behind them.
Trucks also tend to sit a lot higher off the road than passenger cars do. Because of this, you could put yourself at risk and do a ton of damage to your car by running into the back of a truck. It’s why you should not tailgate trucks at any time.
Blind Spots
As we just alluded to, there is a blind spot right behind a truck that will prevent a truck driver from being able to see you. It can make it very easy for a truck driver to put you in a position where you might run into the back of a truck.
But right behind a truck is far from the only blind spot that a truck driver will have. They’ll also often struggle to see those who are driving on their sides. It can lead to some truck drivers changing lanes and running right into vehicles that are in their blind spots.
For this reason, you shouldn’t ever sit on the side of a truck and drive at the same speed as it. You should either pass a truck when you’re on the side of it or hang back and let a truck pull up ahead of you.
Otherwise, there is a decent chance that you might get into a truck accident. Blind spots can wreak havoc on a truck driver’s ability to see you on their side and lead to unnecessary accidents.
Reckless Driving
Traffic deaths have been on the rise in recent years, and reports have revealed that reckless driving has a lot to do with it. More drivers are driving recklessly out on American roads, and it has led to an increase in fatal crashes.
Reckless driving can lead to you getting into accidents with many other types of vehicles. But you’re going to be at an even greater risk of getting into truck accidents when you drive recklessly.
Why? Well, if you’re constantly swerving in and out of lanes when you’re on the highway, other vehicles might be able to drive defensively and avoid you. But it can be difficult for truck drivers to do this because of the size of their trucks.
If, for example, you swerve in front of a truck and then have to bring your car to a sudden stop, a truck driver might not be able to stop soon enough to steer clear of hitting you. You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you’re too close to a truck due to reckless driving.
You could end up hurting yourself and others when you drive recklessly in the general vicinity of trucks. It’s one more reason to stop doing it on a regular basis.
Inclement Weather
We just touched on how it can be tough for truck drivers to bring their trucks to a halt when they don’t have much time to do it. But this isn’t the only thing that can cause truck drivers to lose control when they’re out on the road.
Inclement weather, like rain and snow, can make it challenging for truckers to maintain control of their trucks. So if you’re ever driving near one when the ground is wet and possibly slippery, you will want to change that ASAP.
All it’s going to take is one slick patch of road for a truck driver to lose control and slam into the side or back of your car. You might also lose control of yourself on slick roads and come too close to a truck.
When there is inclement weather, it’s best to slow down your car and stay out of the way of any trucks that are around you. By doing this, you should be able to avoid weather-related truck accidents.
Road Hazards
There are a number of hazards that you might find on the road when you’re driving. It isn’t uncommon to see things like tires, boxes, mattresses, and more sitting in the middle of the road.
With this in mind, you’re going to want to keep your head on a swivel at all times when you’re driving. It’ll help you see potential obstacles ahead so that you can avoid them.
You should also be mindful of the other drivers that are around you and watch for how they might react to these kinds of hazards. Truckers, in particular, aren’t always going to be able to steer clear of hitting something like a tire or even a mattress that has landed on the road.
This could cause items to go shooting up in the air and cause chaos among other drivers. But you will also want to watch out for truckers who try to swerve around obstacles and end up in other lanes.
These truckers might inadvertently cause truck accidents to occur. You’ll want to keep your eyes on the road so that you don’t get hit by a truck that’s trying to avoid something in the road.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving has turned into a huge problem in this country over the last decade or so. It leads to more than 35,000 crashes on American roads each year. It also causes upwards of 39,000 deaths.
You’re going to need to avoid distracted driving at all costs. You should put your smartphone away when you’re driving and resist the urge to fiddle with your car’s infotainment system.
You should also be aware of the fact that some truck drivers might get distracted when they’re driving and make crucial mistakes. You can combat this by not driving too closely to trucks and by assuming that there could be something distracting them that could cause issues.
Driver Fatigue
The trucking industry as a whole has implemented strict rules and regulations to try to stop truck driver fatigue from causing truck accidents. But unfortunately, there are always going to be truckers who push themselves too hard and drive when they’re too tired to be doing it.
In this case, you might not be able to stop a truck accident from happening. If a trucker is making bad decisions due to fatigue, they could run right into you without even realizing they’re doing it at first.
If you feel as though you were involved in a truck accident caused by driver fatigue on the part of a trucker, you should get legal help from a truck accident lawyer as soon as you can. They will be able to help you prove a trucker was at fault for a crash.
Visit alphaaccidentlawyers.com to learn more about the best truck accident law firm in Washington.
Avoid These Common Causes of Truck Accidents
The number of truck accidents that take place in this country has actually decreased over the years. New rules and regulations governing the trucking industry have helped.
But there are still hundreds of thousands of truck accidents that occur every year. If you want to avoid getting into one, keeping the causes of truck accidents in the back of your mind all the time will be important. It’ll help you pinpoint potential problems that could cause you to get into an accident with a truck.
Get more tips on staying safe out on the road by reading through our other blog articles.
