Rollover accidents in Homestead, Hollywood, and other Florida communities can occur with large trucks because commercial vehicles such as big rigs and tractor-trailers have a high center of gravity. The height compared and the width of these trucks make them susceptible to rollovers in a number of situations:
For big rigs and tractor trailers, high winds can mean an increased risk of accidents and rollovers. Quite simply, these vehicles have a much higher center of gravity and when large trucks drive along bridges or highways, especially, the wind can hit the truck with enough force to knock the vehicle off its route and into another lane. In some cases, it can cause the truck to fall over.
Trucks may be especially at risk if they are hauling empty trailers and don’t have the added weight to anchor them down. Speeding vehicles along routes with little wind cover are also especially vulnerable.
Truck rollover accidents in Hollywood are more common than rollovers involving passenger cars. Since tankers and commercial trucks have a higher center of gravity, they are more at risk of rollovers than even SUVs.
Several factors can contribute to these types of collisions:
Truck rollovers are one of the most common types of truck accidents in Homestead and Florida. These types of collisions occur most often at high speeds, and because of the speeding involved they can be catastrophic. However, rollovers can also occur on uneven surfaces, even when a truck driver is traveling slowly.
Rollovers happen when a truck loses control or drives over an uneven surface, in many cases. If a passenger car loses control, it will generally slide or crash into a solid object. Unless a passenger car drives into a ditch or reaches very high speeds, the risk of rollovers is smaller. Since trucks have a higher center of gravity, however, they can flip on their side or even their roof.
In the past, roads were basically surfaces for vehicles. Today, however, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) mean that communications technology can be combined with road and vehicle technology so that infrastructure and vehicles can communicate. According to some safety experts, ITS and related technology can be an important step towards reducing truck accidents in Homestead and other communities.
Already, there are ITS and other technology solutions in place that can help prevent accidents. This technology includes:
1) Mobile weigh stations. Overweight trucks in Homestead and other communities are a leading cause of trucking accidents and are also very detrimental to roads. Despite weigh stations and federal weight limits, however, enforcing overloaded trucks has always been difficult. Some companies have developed mobile weigh stations, which allow weigh stations to be moved, making it harder for commercial trucks to avoid weigh stations.
2) Interactive roads. Most roads are static, but some companies have developed roads that can actually change line markings with the press of a button, can automatically melt ice and snow, and can even warn cars and trucks about upcoming road hazards (such as debris or wildlife in a lane).
3) Weigh station pre-screening. Some companies produce scales that allow trucks to be weighed before they even get to weigh stations. The way these scales work is that they are embedded into the road surface. As a truck rolls over the pavement, the truck’s registration information and weight are recorded – all without the truck having to stop. If the truck is found to be overweight, it can be directed to the nearest weigh station for more evaluation. Not only does this technology promise to find more overloaded trucks, but it can also improve traffic flow by ensuring that only trucks that may exceed weight limits need to stop at weigh stations.
4) Rollover prevention strategies. The same technology that is used in weigh station pre-screening scales can also be used to prevent rollover accidents. Some steep inclines and high-collision ramps across the country already use this technology. Basically, the same under-pavement scales used in weigh scale prescreening can be installed before a steep incline or other high-risk area. The system can automatically note the type and weight of the vehicle approaching the area and flash a message on a road sign about the safest speed limit for the truck. This can help prevent rollovers in Homestead and other communities by ensuring that drivers slow down to a safer speed.
5) Fleet and driver management. Technology is also being used to monitor drivers and fleets more effectively. This can give motor carriers the tools needed to note whether specific drivers or trucks have a higher instance of collisions or whether a driver is speeding or taking other risks on the road.
Industrial warehouses, construction sites, and other workplaces are often the site of forklift truck accidents in Homestead and other Florida communities. In many cases, these workplace accidents in Homestead and other cities are caused by uncontrolled traffic, overloading of forklifts, speed, or difficulty with the machinery itself. According to safety experts, however, there are several things that employees and employers can do to prevent these types of injuries and accidents:
1) Ensure good planning.
Written safety policies can go a long way towards preventing workplace injuries. Employers should check their workplaces for hazards and come up with concrete, written plans for preventing injury. While not every accident can be prevented, many can be foreseen and in many cases steps can be taken to minimize the risk.
2) Institute good training programs.
Undertrained and underqualified employees are more likely to be injured and more likely to file workers’ compensation claims in Homestead and other communities because they are more likely to be injured on the job. It is important for employers to screen employees carefully and to train them for job-specific tasks to make sure that workers know how to stay safe on the job.
3) Take steps to prevent tip-overs.
Tip-overs are one of the leading causes of serious injury with forklift trucks. Unfortunately, when a forklift starts to tip over, many workers on instinct try to jump clear of the truck. In too many cases, this leads to crushing injuries, fatalities, and spinal cord injuries in Homestead and other cities. According to safety experts, there are several things that employees can do to prevent tip-overs:
•Keep the load on the trucks stable by not overloading the truck and by lowering loaded forks and tilting them backwards
•When using a forklift, take turns at a slower and steady pace
•Be cautious when using forklifts to move tall, oddly shaped, wide, or otherwise unstable loads, finding alternative ways to move them where possible.
4) Allow only responsible drivers on forklift trucks.
Proper supervision can help prevent any sort of irresponsible or reckless driving. Even if done in jest, any sort of irresponsible driving can be extremely dangerous, simply because forklift trucks are often unstable and every heavy.
5) Take extra steps to protect pedestrians around forklifts.
One of the big problems with forklifts is that they are often used in workplaces where there are also employees and workers walking in the same area that the forklift is being used. It is important to use the signals and horns on the forklift to alert workers in the area that the truck is in motion. The person operating the forklift should keep their eyes in the direction the forklift is moving and should be vigilant about checking blind spots and checking for pedestrians in the area. Use warning signs and floor markings, where possible, to remind workers where forklifts may be in use.
Trucking accidents occur in Miami all the time, and one of the most devastating of these types of collisions in the rollover. Semis and big rigs are already vulnerable to rollover accidents due to their high center of gravity, but when truck drivers or motor carriers are negligent, they can create an even higher risk of these types of traffic crashes in Miami and other communities.
There are many causes that can contribute to rollover accidents:
1) Cargo issues. Incorrectly secured cargo, overweight trucks in Miami or another community, liquid cargo, and other problems can all increase the chances of a rollover. Liquids, for example, can slosh around as a truck drives, leaving the driver with potentially less control of a vehicle and increasing the risk of a rollover. Incorrectly secured cargo can shift and can change the center of balance of a truck, leading to a crash. A heavy truck can also be more top-heavy and prone to tipping, especially on turns.
2) Speeding. When trucks are going too fast, it is all too easy for a truck driver to lose control of the vehicle and end up tipping the vehicle.
3) Poor truck maintenance. Anything that affects a truck can lead to a rollover, but under-inflated brakes, bad suspension, or bad brakes are especially likely to be culprits. Truck drivers are expected to complete a pre-trip inspection to check for these issues and motor carriers are expected to ensure that their fleets are maintained.
4) Bad road conditions. Since they are top-heavy, commercial trucks such as 18-wheelers can be especially vulnerable to unevenness in the roads. Uneven roads, steep hills, and deep potholes can all contribute to tipover and rollover accidents. In addition, sharp curves, especially on high-speed roadways, can be a problem for trucks. Truck drivers carrying heavy cargo can easily lose control on hairpin turns and sustain serious injury. For this reason, poorly designed highway exit ramps can also be an issue.
5) Driver undertraining. Truck drivers need more training than the average motorist. They need to be able to use air brakes correctly and inspect a truck properly. They also need to understand the dangers of rollover accidents and how to prevent them. When drivers do not have enough experience and training, they may not be able to prevent certain crashes, including underride collisions in Miami, freeway crashes, and other accidents.
No matter what they are caused by, rollover accidents involving commercial trucks can easily turn deadly. These collisions can be single-vehicle accidents or chain reaction crashes that cause fatalities.
David Breen of the Orlando Sentinel has written a very important article about the dangers of road debris in our communities. Charles Flaxman of Flaxman Law Group was asked to comment on the issue and was proud to offer insight.
Be sure to check out the article by clicking below:
Trucks that carry more than a safe amount of cargo can be especially dangerous on the roads in Homestead and other cities. These types of overweight trucks can easily lead to a truck or car accident in Homestead and other communities. There are a number of reasons why overweight cargo can be dangerous:
1) It can put an additional strain on tires, leading to an accident. Overweight trucks put extra pressure on tires, which can lead to a tire blowout and crash. Tires can also overheat when a truck is overburdened with cargo, and this can cause tire blowouts unexpectedly as well. In this situations, the treads on tires can also wear down more quickly.
2) It puts additional strain on braking systems and other major truck systems. Quite simply, trucks have to work harder to carry cargo that exceeds safe limits. The extra pressure on brakes can cause brake failure and a truck accident in Homestead or another community.
3) It can cause trucks to rollover more easily. When cargo is piled high or the truck is overburdened with a heavy weight, a commercial truck may be more top heavy than usual. This can easily lead to rollover accidents. In Homestead and other cities, rollover accidents have caused pileups and secondary car accidents. The force of a truck accident can mean that multiple vehicles are damaged and several people are seriously injured.
4) It can create more force in an accident. In a truck accident, a heavy weight can create more speed and force. If a truck with an overweight cargo is in a collision with a passenger vehicle or a motorcycle, the larger force can increase the likelihood of fatalities.
5) In situations where trucks are overweight, the cargo may also not be loaded correctly, causing more risks. Where a truck driver or truck carrier have decided to cut costs by illegally putting too much cargo on the truck, how can you trust them to load the cargo correctly? The trucking company may also be taking other risks and cutting other corners, and that can be dangerous.
Federal guidelines dictate how much commercial trucks may carry in one load and truck scales along highways are designed to ensure that motor carriers adhere to these rules. However, some motor carriers defy those rules because it can be less costly to send out four trucks rather than six.
Tanker trucks are used to transport fuel, water, and other liquids. These trucks are also more prone to rollovers than cars and most commercial trucks. According to the CDC, tanker truck rollovers are the leading cause of traffic accident-related deaths for firefighters. Rollovers are also more likely than other truck accidents to lead to fires and serious injuries for truck drivers. The majority of these accidents can be prevented, according to experts, with just a few changes:
1) Regular tire maintenance. Tires that are incorrectly maintained increase the likelihood of a tire blowout and therefore a rollover. Tanker trucks are typically very hard on tires due to the weight of the cargo. It is therefore important to check tires every day for correct tire pressure and for wear and tear. Tires that are worn down may result in truck accidents in Coral Springs and other communities because worn tires are more likely to malfunction. Worn tires are also more likely to lead to collisions since tires without adequate treads can make it harder for a driver to stop without sliding. Tires that are overinflated or underinflated can also cause a tire blowout or can cause the truck driver to lose control of the vehicle.
2) Reducing speed. Many rollover accidents in Coral Springs and other communities are caused by excessive speeds. Although tankers can rollover at speeds as low as 5 miles per hour, in most cases these accidents do involve higher speeds. At higher speeds, it is harder for truck drivers to maintain control of their vehicle and taking turns at high speeds, especially, can lead to rollovers and other types of collisions.
3) Adequate training. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that tanker truck drivers get refresher courses at least twice a year and take part in ongoing training. Additional training is important in order to help prevent truck and car accidents in Coral Springs and other communities because tanker truck drivers need to be prepared to deal with shifting cargo and other risky situations on the road. In some cases, motor carriers pay for additional training and refresher courses for drivers. Drivers in many cases can also access training on their own.
4) Weight distribution. Part of the problem with tanker trucks is that the weight of the liquid shifts frequently, and when liquid sloshes up against the sides of the truck, this can cause imbalance in the weight and can increase the risk of a rollover. It is especially important to be very vigilant when tankers are only partially full. Tanker trucks that are only partly full are especially subject rollovers.
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