One of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) roles is to compile statistics about what causes trucks to crash. They are currently working on updating this information.
The most recent FMCSA study is four years old but can still shed light on making the roads safer for truckers and anyone else around them. While truck drivers do get injured in crashes, typically, people in other vehicles suffer the most severe consequences. The reason is simple — trucks are bigger than you. Seatbelts, airbags and other safety technology your car has can only do so much when a giant vehicle hits you.
One-third of fatal truck crashes come down to three things
A truck crash can happen for many reasons, yet the study found three factors accounted for a third of incidents. Note that the results are for fatal crashes rather than ones where people survived with injuries.
- Going too fast: Drivers need to obey the speed limits, yet they must also adapt to the road or traffic conditions. Even if this means arriving late.
- Not paying enough attention to the road: Truck drivers need to restrict their use of job-related technology such as sat-nav systems while moving. They need to wait until parked to use their cellphones.
- Not being in a fit state to drive: No driver should be drunk or under the influence of drugs behind the wheel. It applies even more to someone in charge of a vehicle that can do so much harm. Fatigue is another impairing factor that affects many drivers. Changes to trucking regulations last year have allowed drivers to drive for longer while reducing the breaks required. It could lead to more tired truckers causing collisions.
If you are injured in a truck crash, investigating the causes is vital to getting the compensation you need.