Articles Posted in Trucking Accidents

Most of us think of allergies as nothing more than a slight bother. They mean sniffles, a red nose, swollen eyes, and maybe some sneezing. For truck drivers, however, allergies can pose a serious health risk in a number of ways:

1) Allergies distract a driver from the road. When drivers are sneezing or having a more serious allergic reaction, they are often unable to give full attention to the road. This, in turn, creates a risk of bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and truck accidents, as drivers are unable to focus on the obstacles in front of them. A driver with allergies can mean that everyone sharing the road with that driver is at risk.

2) Allergy medication often induces drowsiness. Many over the counter medications designed to ease the symptoms of an allergy also produce feelings of drowsiness. Taking such medications can cause drivers to fall asleep at the wheel or to become so drowsy that their driving is affected. It is important for truck drivers to check their medication carefully to ensure that it does not cause drowsiness.

All truck accidents are tragic and often result in fatalities and serious personal injuries. However, when a car or truck accident causes injuries to minors and children or kills a young child, it is especially tragic. Unfortunately, children are uniquely vulnerable to truck accidents and car accidents.

Children often play outside, where trucks may be backing up. Because children are small, truck drivers may often not see them in time. As well, children often do not pay attention to or understand the auditory signals trucks make when backing up. They may simply not know enough to get out of the way. Some children may in fact approach trucks out of a sense of curiosity, not comprehending the hazards of trucks. There are many things that parents can do, however, to keep their children safer:

1) Teach your children safety around trucks. Teach your children to keep away from trucks and teach them about the auditory signals trucks have. Show your children what to do when a truck approaches. The more your children know, the better prepared they are to be safe.

A new study out of Harvard, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, has suggested that mandatory screenings for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and banning of doctor shopping can help prevent truck accidents and bus accidents caused by driver fatigue. The Harvard researchers also linked obesity to OSA and suggested that testing at-risk drivers more often can also help prevent vehicle accidents.

Stefanos N. Kales, the Harvard Medical School professor in charge of the study, noted that as America’s obesity rate increases, the rate of obesity among commercial truck drivers is also growing. Obesity can lead to a number of serious conditions, including OSA, which can affect a driver’s ability to drive safely. Kales notes that truck drivers with OSA, in particular, are far more likely to fall asleep at the wheel when compared with drivers without the condition. Kales’ research also uncovered that many truck drivers avoid treatment for OSA and even underreport symptoms.

OSA is a condition in which a patient does not get a restful sleep due to breathing difficulties during sleep. In the most common situations, the OSA causes a patient’s breathing to catch and effectively causes the patient to wake briefly but very frequently during the night. This results in daytime sleepiness and even a tendency to fall asleep suddenly during the daytime. OSA also increases the risk of cardiac disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes mellitus, all of which can also affect driver performance.

Truck driving accidents involving fatigued or sleepy truck drivers are unfortunately still too common. They are also a major cause of car accidents involving trucks. When a truck driver is sleepy or fatigued, he or she has slowed response times and may not react in time in order to avoid a collision. In the worst case scenario, a sleepy truck driver can fall asleep at the wheel and cause car accidents, pedestrian accidents, or collisions with other trucks after losing control of the vehicle.

There are regulations which dictate how long truck drivers can drive before taking a break or rest. While these laws can help prevent some truck accidents caused by fatigue, these laws are far from fool-proof. In some cases, truck companies pressure drivers to drive for excessively long periods of time in order to meet deadlines. In some cases, drivers themselves ignore break and rest regulations because they wish to earn more money. Even in cases where truck drivers obey the laws and take breaks as prescribed, this may not be enough to prevent driver fatigue and resulting accidents.

There are also many conditions which can contribute to driver fatigue. Even rested drivers may be prone to fatigue if they take certain medications or suffer from certain conditions. Hot, muggy days, poor sleep and even heavy meals can contribute to feelings of sleepiness and fatigue which can impact how well a truck driver drives.

Truck driver fatigue continues to be a major cause of trucking accidents. Even though truck drivers are strictly regulated in terms of rest time and maximum number of hours on the road between rests, trucking is still a stressful job and some companies pressure truck drivers to ignore rules. As well, long hours on the road are draining, even with frequent breaks for rest. In some cases, insomnia, sleep apnea, or other conditions or illnesses make a driver tired – and dangerous – on the road. There are many things that drivers can do, however, to reduce accidents due to fatigue:

1) Take breaks when needed. Although breaks are regulated in the trucking industry, truck drivers can stop any time they wish on the road – as long as they rest the minimum amount prescribed by regulations. Many truck drivers push on until the next stop or rest, even if they are tired. Resting when needed – even for a few minutes – can prevent accidents and the personal injuries they cause, though.

2) Get regular check ups. If an office worker falls asleep at his or her desk due to an illness, his or her pride may be a little hurt. If a truck driver falls asleep at the wheel, the consequences are far more dire. Trucking accidents have a high rate of fatalities and also often lead to brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and other serious injuries for survivors. Regular doctor’s visits can ensure that no conditions or illnesses are creating a hazard on the road.

Everyone on the road has a responsibility to help prevent trucking accidents. Trucking companies are responsible for maintaining their trucks and for driving and training their drivers. Passenger car drivers have a responsibility to drive safely so that all vehicles can be safe on the roads and so that car accidents can be prevented. Truck drivers have a responsibility to abide by regulations regarding safe truck driving.

Pedestrians, too, however, have a responsibility to help prevent accidents. Unfortunately, in some cases, pedestrians feel that they can ignore some of the basic rules of the road. When pedestrians fail to exercise caution around larger trucks, pedestrian accidents can easily occur. Since pedestrians are so much smaller than trucks, truck drivers may simply not see them in time to react. Pedestrians especially tend to commit a few specific errors around trucks:

1) Trying to get around trucks. Passing a truck is risky, whether you are in a vehicle or walking. Some pedestrians assume that they have time to quickly zip around a truck. Misjudging the speed of a truck, however, is usually a fatal mistake. If you need to walk around a truck that has an engine running, make sure that the truck is not about to back up. Make eye contact with the driver to ensure that they can see you.

Although truck accidents are often discussed in the media, there is one type of accident that still does not get much media attention: the truck accident involving suicide. Although it is hard for researchers to determine how many people commit suicide each year by stepping or driving in front of a truck, there is evidence that people do choose this method as a means to end their lives. Unfortunately, this method of ending their lives often leads to a truck accident that can cause serious brain injuries, broken bones, and unintentional fatalities to others.

Persons who are severely depressed and prone to suicide will sometimes drive in front of a truck in order to take their lives. Researchers believe that drivers rely on the deadly force of a truck to take their lives. It is not known how many car accidents involving trucks are suicides or suicide attempts, but researchers believe that in cases where a car is in an oncoming lane, for example, and does not move out of the way of a truck, these instances may be examples of suicide or suicide attempts. Studies have suggested that anywhere from 1.6% to 5% of vehicle crashes may be suicides or suicide attempts.

Another method people use in order to commit suicide is to walk in front of a truck on foot. In many cases, pedestrians step very suddenly in front of an oncoming truck and make no attempts to get out of the way. In many cases, researchers believe that these pedestrians know that the truck cannot brake on time and know that the impact will cause a fatal pedestrian accident.

Fatigued drivers are one of the leading reasons for both car accidents and trucking accidents across the country. Tired drivers are more likely to make poor choices, drift into other lanes, and make mistakes while driving. One of the biggest risks associated with fatigued drivers, however, is the danger of falling asleep at the wheel. When truck drivers, especially, fall asleep behind the wheel, they lose control of a multi-ton machine which can cause severe damage and serious injuries in an accident.

Drivers are most likely to fall asleep early in the morning and the middle of the afternoon, when most fatigue-related accidents tend to happen. Researchers have also found that drivers are more likely to fall asleep on long stretches of monotonous roads, such as on long highways. Unfortunately, truck drivers are often forced to work in conditions which contribute to fatigue-related accidents. That is, most truck drivers must drive early in the morning as well as the afternoon in order to make deadlines. As well, truck drivers are more likely than car drivers to spend long periods on highways – where most drivers fall asleep behind the wheel – because truck drivers are often responsible for transporting goods between states and cities, making highways and freeways the most effective mode of transport.

Research from Tatung University in Taiwan has shown that drivers who frequently break up their driving with rest are less likely to be in car accidents. Researchers found that drivers who drive 80 minutes with no break are more dangerous on the roads than drivers who drive for shorter distances. Unfortunately, the very nature of truck transport usually requires that truck drivers drive for longer periods than 80 minutes without stops.

In a car, drivers with road rage can cause serious injuries and damage. Research has shown that drivers gripped by strong, aggressive emotions while behind the wheel – the phenomena known as “road rage” – show poor response times, poor judgment, and often behave in aggressive and dangerous ways. Drivers who are gripped by road rage often ignore the rules of the road, speed, and drive aggressively or recklessly. They may verbally abuse other drivers or make threatening gestures. In rare cases, drivers affected by road rage may use their cars as a weapon to harm someone else.

When truck drivers are affected by road rage, the results may be much worse. The size and force of trucks – especially larger commercial trucks – are significant enough to cause serious damage if a driver loses control and drives recklessly or aggressively. Trucks are large enough to harm many people and damage many vehicles in a road rage incident.

There are many causes of driver rage. Truck drivers may exceed normal or accepted driving hours. Exhaustion can lead to anger and irritability, which can cause minor difficulties to escalate into instances of road rage. As well, some drivers may use illegal substances in order to meet hectic work schedules or may simply have anger management issues or even histories of road rage incidents. There are many reasons for road rage as there are drivers who experience the problem.

Pedestrian accidents involving a truck are almost always devastating. A pedestrian accident involving a car can easily result in life-threatening injuries such as brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, but the power of a truck is even less of a match for a pedestrian. Pedestrian accidents involving trucks are usually fatal. While trucking companies have an obligation to help prevent trucking accidents, pedestrians can certainly do their part to help prevent these devastating accidents. Here’s how:

1) Pay careful attention around trucks. Whether you are at a truck stop, trying to walk from your car to a restroom or are on your street when moving trucks are trying to offload furniture, stay extra alert. When you see trucks, put away your portable devices and music players and focus on getting to your destination safely.

2) Be careful in construction areas. At this time of year, there are many construction sites around every city. Whether you are trying to walk or ride your bicycle, trucking accidents, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents are very common near and in construction areas. Quite simply, trucks, construction equipment, bicyclists, and pedestrians are not a good mix. Try to avoid construction areas while out walking. Cross the street if you have to. If you must walk through a construction area, make sure workers on the area can see you and walk through as carefully as you can.