|
When you travel across the country, you must share the road with all manner of vehicles, including large trucks. Sometimes these big rigs are rather intimidating because of their size and apparent indifference to your presence. In most fatal trucking accidents, the drivers of the truck are not the ones who are killed, but people in other vehicles around them. Because of the size and the cargo hauled by large trucks, the damage to passenger cars is significant. Although, large truck accidents declined in 2006, there were still almost 5,000 fatal truck accident victims, the majority of whom were occupying other vehicles at the time of the accident. Of the 106,000 people suffering from personal injury because of a large truck accident, 81,000 were passengers in other vehicles. It is significantly safer to be in the truck than next to it when an accident occurs. Truckers put in long hours and are up against tight deadlines, which frequently make for less than ideal driving conditions. While most truck drivers are well trained, and closely monitor the hours they drive, many of them are downright dangerous. Some of the major factors that lead to truck accidents are: • Fatigue • Speeding • Improper loads • Hazardous materials • Alcohol use • Aggressive driving Most long haul truckers are on a tight schedule and need to get their goods to where they are going as quickly as possible. Although trucking companies and state agencies attempt to regulate the number of hours a driver can safely drive, there are plenty of truck drivers who do not follow the guidelines. In some cases, drivers may resort to over the counter stimulants or even illegal drugs in order to stay awake longer, and put more miles under them. This type of behavior puts you at risk for personal injury or death, not just the driver. Improperly trained drivers also populate the interstate highways. Due to high turnover and relatively good wages, young and inexperienced drivers are hired and let loose on the road without adequate training. Poorly trained foreign drivers, many of whom are from Mexico are also beginning to appear on American roads, driving sub-standard vehicles and putting more people at risk. The big semi-trucks weigh over 26,000 pounds empty, that 13 tons on top of whatever cargo or material they might be carrying. The miles and hours put on those vehicles also wear them out more quickly than typical passenger cars. The average age of the vehicles on the road is 6.8 years. That is almost seven years of hard driving. If the vehicles are not well maintained they could fail and cause an accident. Some of the most scary trucking accident scenarios involve gasoline tanker trucks. Accidents with tanker trucks frequently lead to dramatic explosions that can kill and injure everybody who happens to be nearby. The intense heat of some tanker truck accidents has melted highways and bridge supports. Passengers in nearby cars can be burned before they even realize what is happening. It is important drive defensively around big rigs since they often have the advantage of size and weight over passenger vehicles. Because of the large size of these vehicles, very few truck accidents are considered minor.
Related Articles -
Binghamton accident attorney, Binghamton accident lawyer, Binghamton auto accident attorney, Binghamton auto accident lawyer,
| 
