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5 common reasons that truck accidents occur

On Behalf of | Nov 2, 2018 | Motor Vehicle Accidents |

Wrecks involving trucks are often serious. They can cause significant damage to other vehicles and severely injure other motorists. There are a few common reasons that truck crashes occur.

Lack of experience

While all truckers must undergo both classroom and behind-the-wheel training before receiving their commercial driver’s licenses (CDL), those just starting out lack the necessary experience to handle unexpected occurrences. Often, it’s through making mistakes — including being cited for or causing a crash — that they learn how to be more effective at operating their trucks.

Distracted driving

While reading, eating, smoking and talking on CB radios or with passengers used to be what distracted truckers, an uptick in the use of smartphones and navigation systems is now often to blame for taking truckers’ eyes, ears and minds off the road.

Drowsy driving

Although federal regulations have gone into effect in recent years that have limited how many consecutive hours that a trucker can be behind the wheel before resting, many commercial truck drivers disregard them, often due to pressure from their employers.

Even if a trucker adheres to federal regulations, there’s no guarantee that they rested while they were off the clock. People can’t always fall asleep at the drop of a dime.

Truck maintenance issues

All truckers are expected to visually inspect their trucks before taking off. Fleet companies are required to have regular maintenance performed on their trucks and to keep a log of what’s been done.

Improper loading

If a truck isn’t loaded properly, it can affect a trucker’s ability to stop as quickly as possible. In some instances, this may cause a jackknife accident to occur.

Motor vehicle accidents are common occurrences that happen everywhere. Insurance companies put up a strong fight against claims by denying liability. When they do settle a case, they offer as little as they can. An experienced Mahopac motor vehicle accidents attorney can aggressively fight for your interests when negotiating a settlement in your case.

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