A commercial truck accident is horrifying. A recent study revealed that whenever such an accident occurs, there is a 95% chance that there will be a life lost, and the other 5% is someone left fighting for their survival.

Commercial trucks are enormous, and they pose a threat to smaller cars. Drivers need to be careful on the road. The average commercial vehicle can be a 30,000-pound machine en-route compared to the average personal vehicle of 4,000 pounds. In case of an accident, the car will be literally crushed beyond recognition.

The heavy weight and long braking distances of commercial trucks are the main contributors to the severity of the wrecks. Some of the common accidents associated with these huge commercial trucks include jackknifes, sideswipes, rear end collisions, rollovers, cargo spills, and cargo shifts. Also, side collision crashes or T-bone crashes are common with these vehicles. 

The government tightly regulates these trucks to ensure they are not overloaded because such acts have serious implications. Besides, the law protects the victims of truck accidents. If you or your loved one was involved in a trucking accident, according to Sabbeth Law, you can successfully seek compensation for injuries and losses you may have suffered due to the accident. 

Distracted Driving

Driving a long-distance truck can be boring. Drivers may turn to their phones for entertainment. The cat videos might be funny, but such a distraction is a red flag, and an accident is imminent. Anything that takes the driver’s concentration off the steering wheel is a distraction.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) body estimates that 15% of injury crashes and 10% of fatal crashes involving truck drivers were caused by distracted driving.

Alcohol and Drug Use

Don’t drink and drive. Also, the authorities explicitly campaign that one shouldn’t do drugs and drive. Drug and substance abuse impair the driver’s judgment. However, why would drivers do drugs in the first place? The distance to be driven requires several days on the road at a time, and the truck drivers have too few hours of quality sleep.

Drugs such as amphetamines, marijuana, and cocaine are reportedly a typical dose taken by commercial truck drivers to keep them awake unnaturally. Unfortunately, most accidents are due to drunk driving or drivers under the influence of drugs – so it does more harm than keeping them awake.

Human Error

Acts of human errors such as; inadequate training and maintenance of the vehicles, speeding and overtaking, and even improper cargo loading may lead to a commercial truck getting involved in an accident. Although attempts are always made to ensure safety, man is to error, and mistakes are bound to happen.

Maintenance is the cause of most accidents. Equipment failures such as bad tires, poorly maintained brakes, missing safety, and faulty equipment and transmission failures is a red flag to any truck driver. If such a commercial truck is involved in a car accident, the aggrieved parties have all strong points to seek higher compensation.