Any idea what the top cause of truck accidents is? I’ll give you a clue. It’s not what they highlight in those cable shows about the world’s most dangerous trucking roads. It’s the people who drive the trucks.
More than half of all accidents between a truck and other vehicles are caused by the truck, according to the Large Truck Causation Study undertaken by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
The truck driver themself was responsible for 87% of all the accidents caused by trucks, while 10% were due to problems with their vehicle. For example, vehicle defects such as a faulty tire, a defective brake hose, an overloaded vehicle or an inherent design fault can cause an accident.
The environmental conditions so beloved of the TV shows such as ice, polar bears and crumbling cliffside roads were only to blame for 3% of accidents. These are the principal reasons truck drivers cause accidents:
- 38% were down to bad decision-making.
- 28% were distracted.
- 12% were asleep or suffered a medical condition such as heart attack or seizure.
- 9% braked too hard, oversteered or panicked.
Before you think of truck drivers as villains, remember that trucking companies often pressure drivers to work long hours and to drive without rest to meet unrealistic schedules.
If you have been injured in a truck crash in Georgia, seek legal counsel to understand how you can claim compensation. It is crucial to find out who was responsible for the accident. It could be the driver, it could be the trucking company, the garage that carried out maintenance or the company that makes the parts.