New records are being reached in shipments via truck in the United States, according to news reports this month. Recent crashes between semi-trucks and passenger vehicles have safety experts calling for companies to reassess their safety equipment for large vehicles.
According to a recent study, the use of blind spot warning systems resulted in a 20 percent decrease in accidents or injury-related crashes. The research, executed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, analyzed more than 5,000 accidents in 2015 and compared results with two similar studies focused on trucking fleets in the U.S. and Volvo cars in Sweden. The studies showed that in the U.S. alone more than 55,000 injuries would have been prevented if all vehicles had been equipped with blind spot or collision avoidance technology.
New technology alone won’t rid American highways of deadly crashes with semi-trucks, given the vast size difference between trucks and passenger vehicles. Statistics from the Bureau of Transportation statistics show there were more than 350,000 commercial trucking accidents each year.
Because of their difference in size and weight, collisions between a semi-truck and passenger car are far more destructive and devastating than accidents involving two passenger vehicles. A commercial truck, such as an 18-wheeler, delivery truck or large freight truck may weigh more than 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. A typical passenger car weighs only about 3,000 pounds.
Tractor-trailers also require a large stopping distance. For this reason, the truck driver must maintain a greater distance between the semi-truck and other vehicles on the highway. When a safe distance is not maintained, the results can be catastrophic.
This leads us to ask, then, if blind spots aren’t the only reason trucking accidents occur, what are the most common reasons? The National Transportation Safety Board has listed the following as some of the most common causes of truck accidents:
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Driver fatigue
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Inadequate (or lack of any) driver training
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Speeding
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Overloaded trucks
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Oversized trucks
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Brake failure
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Poor driving conditions
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Driver inexperience
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Failure to yield the right-of-way
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Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
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Aggressive, dangerous or reckless driving
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Mechanical failure (or improper maintenance)
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Defective parts (such as defective steering or defective brakes)
It takes an experienced team of attorneys and investigators to determine if trucking negligence was to blame for your accident or injury. Langdon & Emison has the experience and resources to determine if a truck driver or trucking company is responsible for your injuries and to maximize your compensation.
With offices in Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City, we try cases across the country and represent people who are seriously injured or lose loved ones in trucking accidents. We will evaluate your case at no cost to you, and if we move forward with your case, you owe nothing until we obtain compensation for you. Contact our trucking accident attorneys today at 866-931-2115 or lelaw.com.
