Articles Posted in Trucking Accidents

Florida truck accidents cost far too many lives. In addition to fatalities, trucking accidents cause serious injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, and other injuries. While truck drivers and carriers are responsible for ensuring that drivers and trucks are safe, there are also a number of things that motorists can do to make the highways and roads of Florida safer for trucks and motorists:

1) Use extra caution around trucks. Driving around trucks is not the same as driving around smaller vehicles. Large, heavy trucks take longer to slow down, for example. When driving behind a large truck, consider giving them extra room to brake safely. Don’t cut trucks off or brake suddenly in front of them; they may not be able to stop in time to prevent an accident. Also, keep in mind that large trucks making a turn require more space.

2) Report unsafe trucks on the road. If you see a truck driver driving erratically, making unsafe lane changes, or displaying unsafe driving behaviours, call your local authorities at once to report the truck. Many trucks also have a toll-free number prominently displayed that allows you to contact the carrier owning the truck. Getting an unsafe truck off the road can prevent an accident.

According to Road Safe America, an advocacy group aiming to reduce the number of trucking accidents across the country, 5000 Americans die as a result of truck accidents each year. Florida is considered one of the states with the highest rate of truck accidents in the nation. Many years, Florida is second only to Texas in the number of fatal truck accidents it sees.

Truck accidents have a high rate of fatalities because a fully-loaded commercial truck can weigh 20 times what the typical passenger car weighs. In a collision at high speeds, especially, the car and its passengers can be crushed. In addition to fatalities, however, trucking accidents also cause serious injuries, including spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, burn injuries, and many other types of injuries. Many people have had their lives permanently devastated by a truck accident.

The American Trucking Association reports that the US has more than 3,000,000 commercial truck drivers and more than 500,000 commercial carriers. Each of these drivers and truck carriers share the road with much smaller cars. It is important to ensure that carriers and drivers alike are held responsible for their behavior on the road and for the condition of the trucks they drive.