Articles Posted in Trucking Accidents

Tanker trucks, which are sometimes called mobile water supply apparatus, are used to transport water and firefighters to many emergency scenes, especially to emergency scenes where water is not readily available. Unfortunately, the fatality rates of these lesser-used firefighting vehicles is much higher than the accident rate of other firefighting vehicles.

According to some industry experts, part of the problem may be laws regarding drivers.

Most state laws allow emergency vehicle drivers important exemptions. Drivers of these vehicles are allowed to speed, drive against the flow of traffic, request right of way, and to drive around traffic control items. All these exemptions permit driver to help people in an emergency, but these exemptions are not meant to permit reckless driving. Drivers of mobile water supply apparatus are still expected to be cautious of the public.

Tanker trucks, also known as mobile water supply apparatus, are an important part of most firefighting efforts. These tanker trucks transport water to fire scenes, allowing firefighters the water that helps them extinguish flames. Tankers arriving at a fire scene can help save homes as well as lives. They can also help prevent burn injuries by helping get flames under control.

Unfortunately, tanker trucks also have a high rate of accidents. Tanker trucks involved in firefighting efforts cause more fatalities than all other pieces of firefighting equipment combined. This is in spite of the fact that there are fewer mobile water supply apparatus tankers than most other types of firefighting equipment and in spite of the fact that these tankers respond to fewer calls.

According to experts, there are many reasons why mobile water supply apparatus tanker trucks have such a high rate of accidents. Many claim that these trucks can be easily overloaded as the prime concern when filling these trucks is to get enough water to the fire scene. As well, tanker trucks are encouraged to speed, even on dangerous road conditions, because they are responding to an emergency. As well, many mobile water supply apparatus tanker trucks are in fact converted from other trucks (often trucks designed to transport propane, for example).

Tanker truck rollovers are a common type of trucking accident, and one that can have serious consequences. Many tanker rollovers result in serious injury to the driver, including head injuries and spinal cord injuries. When a tanker rollover occurs, the materials inside the tanker can catch on fire and can cause extensive property damage as well as burn injuries. When tankers rollover, they also typically crash into other vehicles, causing fatalities and serious damage.

Although many factors can contribute to these types of accidents, a report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in conjunction with the Battelle Memorial Institute suggests that almost one in four such accidents (75%) can be attributed to driver error. Another 25% of such accidents are caused by factors such as weather conditions, the actions of other drivers, and road conditions as well as other factors.

Many people assume that many trucking accidents occur on sharp curves or exit ramps, where trucks must merge with traffic. However, the FMCSA research study surprisingly found that in 90% of tanker rollover cases, accidents occurred on straight roads or when a truck collided with another vehicle. In only about 10% of cases did collisions occur on curves or ramps. This result surprised even FMCSA members and researchers, who were expecting higher accident rates on curves and ramps.

All trucking accidents have the potential to cause serious personal injury as well as fatalities. Due to the force and size of trucks, any truck accident can cause burn injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and other serious harm. Collisions between passenger vehicles and trucks tend to be especially deadly. While all truck accidents can be deadly, however, there are important differences in the characteristics of every type of collision:

1) Underride and override accidents. Underride truck accidents occur when a truck is forced to brake suddenly, and this causes the car following the truck to slide under the truck. Often, part of the car is sheared off and death as well as serious head injuries are the frequent result. Override accidents are caused when a car or vehicle in front of a truck stops or slows down suddenly, not giving the truck enough time to slow down and stop. When this happens, the truck often rolls over the vehicle, often crushing the vehicle and killing the passengers.

2) Air brake malfunction. Most trucks have air brakes, which allow trucks to stop within 100 feet when traveling at 35-40 mph. Air brake defects as well as excessive loads and the pressure generated by going downhill can cause truck air brakes to fail, which can cause trucks to rear-end vehicles in front of them.

Monster truck shows or rallies are entertainment events at which large trucks perform stunts for the amusement of an audience. The drivers of these trucks are highly trained stunt drivers. In most cases, rallies are simply fun events at which families have a fun time. However, in some cases monster truck rallies turn deadly and claim the life of drivers or audience members when trucks collide.

Although monster truck accidents are not as common as other kinds of trucking accidents, they do occur. In June 2009, a six-year-old Tacoma boy was killed after being struck by debris at a Monster Truck show. In 2007, nine people sustained personal injury at an Illinois. monster truck show when two trucks collided. In 1999, two separate monster truck accidents claimed the life of one man and injured three others, including two children.

Monster truck accidents are often tragic because they often involve children and teenagers and lead to injuries to children and minors. In many cases, injuries and fatalities at monster truck rallies take place when monster trucks lose control and crash. When this occurs, flying debris can sometimes fly from the performance area and into the stands, injuring or killing audience members.

Garbage truck accidents are not as common as other types of truck accidents and rarely make the news, but these accidents can be just as devastating as other types of vehicle accidents. Each year, people are killed and seriously injured by garbage trucks. Very often, accidents involving garbage trucks involve pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents. These accidents are often caused by a number of factors:

1) Poor visibility. Garbage trucks are large and have poor lines of sight. Like larger commercial trucks, they have many blind spots. As well, as the day progresses, garbage trucks often get dirty. This can obscure reflectors and lights. It can also cause mirrors to become smudged or dirty and therefore less useful.

2) Tired drivers. Garbage trucks are usually making the rounds very early. Garbage truck drivers wake very early and often work long shifts, which can contribute to fatigue. When this is combined with driver distraction (caused by cell phones or texting) the risk of an accident is even higher.

Truck drivers are often very highly trained professionals. To qualify for their licenses, they must pass strict testing, training, and licensing requirements. They also clock many miles on the roads, making them highly trained drivers. In many car accidents involving a truck, however, truck drivers are singled out for blame.

In some cases, bias may contribute to the problem. When a truck collides with a car, the passengers of the car are often seriously injured or killed. Fatalities in these types of accidents are frequent and where passengers do survive, they often face spinal cord injuries, whiplash, amputations, burn injuries, brain injuries, and other serious and potentially long-term injuries. They are often rushed to the hospital from the scene of the accident.

In many cases, injured passengers of cars are not extensively questioned at the scene of an accident because they are seriously injured. Since the truck driver is largely protected by the height of his or her cab and the size of his or her truck, the truck driver is often questioned at the scene and may not be seriously injured. Since the passengers of the smaller car are seriously injured, this can tip sympathy towards them and may obscure the mistakes made by a passenger car in an accident.

In the US, truck drivers driving commercials trucks and bus drivers will no longer be able to text and drive. There is already a text ban in place by many larger transportation and trucking companies (including United Parcel Service and FedEx), but the federal ban makes the ban industry-wide and comes with tough penalties. Many in the industry are applauding the decision, which they say will help reduce bus accidents and trucking accidents.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has made banning distracted driving a top priority and this first step may pave the way for more extensive texting bans for all drivers. LaHood cannot ban passenger car drivers from texting and driving (even though driver texting has been extensively linked to car accidents) but rules regarding the trucking industry give him the authority to ban texting among truck drivers on the roads. Truck drivers who text while driving will now face fines of up to $2,750.

However, some experts are concerned about the enforcement of the new policy. Experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, for example, note that LaHood’s new regulation may be largely symbolic and may not have an immediate effect on road safety, as texting is hard to spot. Police authorities agree that enforcing texting laws is difficult, since drivers hold their mobile devices below the window level. In most cases, truck drivers are caught texting and driving only after an accident, when police look at phone records and records on mobile devices to show that a driver was texting at the time of a crash. Some police note that lane departures and drivers who glance down frequently may be red flag signs that someone is texting while driving, but again this is hard to spot.

Trucking accidents cause 35, 000 deaths each year as well as serious injuries such as burns, brain injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and other serious injuries. When a serious accident involving a truck takes place, there is often a great deal of focus on the driver. However, in many cases the drivers of passenger vehicles are also at leas partly responsible for a trucking accident. In fact, a study out of Los Angeles suggests that up to 75% of trucking accidents are caused by motorists operating passenger vehicles. Drivers of passenger vehicles often have less expensive training than truck drivers. As well, many drivers do not treat trucks differently than other vehicles on the road, and this can cause many common mistakes which can lead to an accident:

1) Changing lanes without signaling. Trucks take a longer time to respond, so trucks need plenty of warning when motorists change lanes. Zipping out in front of a truck when switching lanes is especially dangerous, as the truck may not be able to stop in time to avoid a collision.

2) Taking a turn left in front of a truck.

Statistics from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System show that about 35, 000 fatal trucking accidents take place across the country. About 8% of these accidents involve large commercial trucks, such as rigs. In addition to the large death toll, there are also many trucking accidents that lead to serious injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, burns, and other serious injuries. Although car accidents are more common than trucking accidents, statistics show from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System show that truck collisions are involved in about 46% of traffic-related fatalities.

Obviously, it is important to do everything possible to prevent these tragic accidents. One common cause of trucking accidents which is quite preventable is driver fatigue. Tired truck drivers have slower response times and some even doze off at the wheel, causing trucking accidents. Studies have proven that driving while tired is as dangerous as driving under the influence. The tragic thing about driver fatigue is that it is quite preventable.

Truck collisions involving driver fatigue have not declined, even though the overall rate of trucking accidents has been slowly decreasing. There have been a number of laws instituted which aim to reduce tired driving. For example, federal statues limit the length of time drivers can driver commercial trucks and vans before resting. As well, all drivers must keep a log to show that they are taking adequate rest breaks.

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