Articles Posted in Trucking Accidents

Tow trucks are designed to help cars who have stalled or have been in an accident – but what happens when these trucks cause accidents? Although tow trucks have a lower accident rate than commercial trucks, they still do pose a danger on the roads. According to the Tow Truck Association of America, 60 or more tow truck operators are killed annually each year while helping customers on the road. In addition to these lives lost, many car accidents are caused when tow trucks and cars collide on the roads.

Tow trucks are at a high risk of collisions for a number of reasons:

1) They are often expected to arrive in dangerous situations. Tow trucks are often called to accident scenes, crowded parking lots, and the sides of roads where a flat tire has occurred. These large trucks must then maneuver among other cars or obstacles in order to position the tow truck correctly to help a stranded motorist. Other motorists may not expect to see a tow truck or a tow truck may simply not have enough room to do their job safely.

Drunk driving accidents involving passenger vehicles kill and injury many people each year. Truck accidents caused by drunk driving and illegal substances can be even more angering, since truck drivers are carefully monitored and regulated. Truck accidents involving illegal and controlled substances are very preventable. Unfortunately, these types of accidents also cause serious injuries. Since trucks are so large, they can easily crush other cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, causing devastating brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and fatalities.

Many types of substances can be associated with DUI truck accidents:

1) Alcohol. The decision to have a few drinks on a hot day can have serious consequences for a truck driver. Driving over the legal blood alcohol limit makes a truck driver more likely to lose control of the vehicle, make mistakes while driving, or even drift off behind the wheel. Truck drivers who drink and drive are even more dangerous than drivers of passenger vehicles who do the same thing.

Whether you have a child just learning to bicycle or have a teen looking forward to their first summer with a driver’s license, at this time of year, it is important to sit your children down and talk truck safety. Trucks are actually more plentiful in the summer, when summer roadwork can mean more trucks and construction sites. Unfortunately, these sites can easily draw young children who are curious about the vehicles and road work or construction. To prevent the pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents that can be a very real risk when children play around trucks, make sure that you:

1) Teach your children to never play around trucks. It is useful to explain to children what the consequences of playing around trucks might be. However, it is also important to be specific. Explain how far children need to be away from trucks to be safe. When out with your children, point out a truck and ask your child to show you how far from the truck he or she should stand.

2) Teach your children to make eye contact with truck drivers. Practice making eye contact with truck drivers when out and about with your children and enforce the idea that truck drivers can only see a person when they make eye contact with that person. Truck drivers are less likely to see children, because children tend to be small. Make sure your children know how to make eye contact and walk safely around a truck.

Bill HB 1271 will increase the maximum weight allowable for trucks. Currently, trucks in Florida must carry no more than 80,000 pounds in weight. The bill will allow trucks of up to 88, 000 pounds on Florida’s roads. Some concerned citizens have been speaking out against the bill and some hoped that Governor Charlie Crist will veto the bill.

Experts note that such an increase in weight could significantly increase road damage caused by trucks. According to the Florida Coalition for Safe Highways, there will be no larger fees for the trucking companies if the heavier trucks are allowed. This means that in some municipalities, the condition of roads might deteriorate if the community cannot find funds to fix the roadways more quickly. Poor road conditions, in turn, may increase the risk of car accidents, truck accidents, bus accident, and even bicycle accidents. All vehicles and pedestrians rely on roads in good condition, and according to the Florida Coalition for Safe Highways, heavier trucks threaten the condition of roads.

The Florida Coalition for Safe Highways is also concerned about the safety of trucks with larger loads. According to the group, the extra 8, 000 pounds can impact a truck’s ability to slow down and stop, which can contribute to trucking accidents. As well, heavier trucks will require more driver awareness. However, most drivers today are trained on 8, 000 pound trucks, so there is some concern about the preparedness of truck drivers for the heavier trucks.

Trucking companies have an obligation not only to deliver products safely and in a timely fashion for their clients, but also to keep the roads safe for everyone. Certain trucking company operational practices can have a profound impact on accident rates. For example, when truck companies hire experienced, qualified drivers and ensure that all drivers in a fleet have adequate training, the companies are taking steps to make the roads safer for everyone. Similarly, when truck companies take care to maintain their fleet of trucks, they are working to help prevent pedestrian accidents, car accidents, and bicycle accidents involving their trucks.

The way that truck companies pay their drivers can also have a significant impact on road safety. In some cases, experts note, truck companies offer truck drivers inadvertent encouragement to speed or reduce rest stops. For example, if a truck company pays a driver by the mile, the driver may feel a subtle pressure to speed or to drive when fatigued in order to make more miles in order to make more money.

As well, many truck drivers spend hours or days on the road. If they are being paid by the load or by the mile, and they have little to do but drive, they may be tempted to speed and to cut corners on rest stops in order to get the job done and in order to take home more income. Many trucking companies also only pay drivers for driving. Time spent loading or unloading the truck, time spent resting or idling, and time spent doing paperwork is all unpaid work, and this can push drivers to drive more and drive faster to make up for all those unpaid hours.

According to research and advocacy groups, there are a number of things which can make trucks much safer. One of these items is the speed governor. Speed governors are on-board computers which limit the maximum speeds of trucks. Speed governors prevent speeding, and in some cases warn drivers when they exceed certain safe driving speeds. Many experts believe that speed governors are powerful tools in the trucking industry because these computers take the choice to speed out of the driver’s hands. The driver, in many cases, cannot easily speed with these computers onboard. If the driver does speed and is in an accident, the driver cannot plead ignorance, as the speed governor will warn the driver of excessive speeds. By keeping drivers to reasonable speeds, the speed governors ensure that drivers have adequate time to stop if they need to brake suddenly to avoid a collision.

The interesting thing about speed governors is that most trucks have them. In fact, all trucks made in the USA since 1992 have been equipped with speed governors. However, there is no legislation requiring truck drivers or truck companies to use these devices. In fact, many truck drivers and truck companies do not use these potentially life-saving devices. Under current legislation, trucks are legally allowed to drive at the same speeds as passenger vehicles, even though all experts agree that trucks cannot stop safely at highway speeds. Some experts and advocacy groups have tried to pass legislation requiring the use of speed governors or requiring different, lower, speed limits for trucks. Currently, no such legislation has passed.

Worse, some experts claim that the truck industry makes it profitable for truckers to exceed safe speed limits. Most truck drivers are paid by the load or by the mile. Truck drivers who travel more quickly, therefore, are more competitive than those who travel at safer speeds. Truck drivers who drive at slower speeds and therefore drive more safely are essentially financially punished with lower wages. However, even driving at regular highway speeds is very dangerous for drivers, since truck take three times the distance to come to a complete stop, when compared to passenger vehicles. Many experts believe that mandatory use of speed governors and new legislation regarding maximum truck speeds would reduce car accidents and pedestrian accidents associated with commercial trucks. Experts also point out that trucks that use speed governors to travel a safe speed are in fact also more profitable, since they incur smaller liability costs, spend less in fuel costs, and allow the truck to function longer without expensive maintenance or repairs.

While truck drivers make some mistakes which result in truck-car accidents, there are also poor choices which passenger vehicle drivers make which can also result in collisions:

1) The choice to ignore a truck’s blind spots. Many trucks have warning signs, indicating the blind spot of the truck and warning drivers to not pass when the truck is changing lanes or turning. Nevertheless, many passenger vehicle drivers decide to ignore the warnings and either drive in truck blind spots or attempt to pass at unsafe moments.

2) The choice to cut trucks off and drive aggressively. Trucks usually use air brakes, which means that they take longer to stop than passenger vehicles. Cutting off a truck or zipping around a truck usually does not leave the truck with enough time to stop in order to prevent a collision.

Commercial truck drivers make many choices when driving which can affect their safety and the safety of everyone around them on the road. Important truck driver choices include:

1) The choice to stay involved. Most commercial truck drivers are not responsible for truck maintenance or for loading their truck – others do that and the truck driver focuses on driving. However, good truck drivers check loads and trucks before driving so that they can report an incorrectly loaded cargo or any mechanical issues with a truck before these problems cause an accident. Improperly loaded or secure loads can result in rollovers, tire blowouts, or a trail of debris on the road that increases the risk of car accidents. Tires without correctly functioning brakes, truck lights and other equipment are at a greater risk of accidents. Pre-inspection before every drive helps truck drivers notice and correct issues immediately.

2) The choice to obey posted speed limits. Some truck drivers choose to speed in order to make deadlines, but speeding is extremely dangerous. Speeding commercial trucks are more likely to rollover and drivers are more likely to lose control when speeding. Since trucks take much longer to stop than passenger vehicles, speeding can also lead to a car accident or pedestrian accident if a driver is going too fast to respond adequately to traffic.

Since driver fatigue is a major contributor to car accidents, bus accidents, and truck accidents, the federal government has long instituted rules which regulate the trucking industry. These regulations dictate how long truck drivers should sleep, how often they should rest, and the maximum amount of time drivers should drive before taking breaks. Despite this, however, truck driver fatigue continues to cause accidents each year.

Part of the problem is that log books are used to prove how often a truck driver rests. All truck drivers are expected to keep a log book to show how often they rest and when they take breaks. However, some drivers fill out their log books every few days, long after they have forgotten their actual breaks. Some drivers even fake their log book entries. When such drivers are in an accident, it can be difficult to prove that driver fatigue played a role in the accident. Victims need a good Florida personal injury attorney to check log books against evidence gathered from the truck to determine whether a log book was accurate.

According to federal regulations, commercial truck drivers are not permitted to drive more than 70 hours over eight consecutive days and are not allowed to drive more than 60 hours per week. After eleven hours of driving a day, drivers are supposed to take a rest period of ten hours. In addition, drivers need to have a rest period of at least 34 consecutive hours. Drivers are supposed to drive ten hours maximum consecutively. Some experts claim that such federal regulations are too lax and can still result in driver fatigue. Driving a truck takes a great deal of mental energy and concentration, and driving 60 hours a week can lead to fatigue.

Commercial trucks pose serious hazards to other vehicles and other persons on the road when they collide. Whether a truck collides with another vehicle, rolls over, or collides with an inanimate object, there are many hazards unique to this type of large vehicle:

1) Multi-vehicle accidents. The sheer size and length of a truck can cause a truck to suddenly block all or part of a road, and this can easily lead to multiple-vehicle accidents is other cars on the road cannot stop in time. The sheer size and force of a commercial truck can also cause the truck to crash through multiple passenger vehicles when spinning out of control. Commercial trucks are simply more likely to cause multi-car accidents than passenger vehicles.

2) Spills. One unique thing about commercial trucks which sets them apart from other vehicles is that commercial trucks carry loads. Following a collision, these loads can spill, causing additional damages and injuries. If a truck is carrying livestock, for example, a collision can cause the livestock to scatter, causing additional accidents. If a truck is carrying large objects – such as logs or heavy steel pipes – these objects may scatter on the road in an accident and impact with other vehicles, causing serious accidents.