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The Leading Factor In Truck Accidents
Trucking is a tough business. Costs continually rise, competition is high, and regulations constantly change. With the current state of the economy the pressure is on truckers to both help the nation recover, and to make a living for themselves and their families. One way truckers push themselves to haul and earn more is to drive for more hours or on more days per week. This might be leading to the rise of accidents that have fatigue as their root cause. Everyone knows you don't perform as well when you're tired. If you're driving a 3,000-pound passenger car this is dangerous enough, but imagine the consequences if you're at the controls of a big rig weighing more than 30,000-pounds. The reasons for fatigue on the roads are obvious. While there are laws in place to limit the number of hours a trucker can drive in a day there is much pressure on the driver to ‘fudge' these numbers. Private operators often push themselves to the very limits of endurance in order to maximize their income because the more loads they haul the more money they will make. While it's easy to recognize fatigue as a cause of accidents it's much more difficult to police and prevent. There is no breathalyzer test for tiredness. Many times when drivers are involved in accidents it's only their own admission that identifies tiredness as the cause. A look at the driver's logbooks can also alert authorities to too many hours at the wheel, but only if a driver fills out the logs honestly. Fatigue isn't the only factor leading to truck accidents. Other factors include the dangerous actions of other drivers, improper maintenance, and even the condition of roads and highways. Truckers continually report problems with their smaller counterparts on the highways. The drivers of passenger cars don't seem to understand the differences between their vehicles and the big rig. Truck drivers say that more and more drivers seem to be tailgating the big trucks these days, and that some even try to mimic their racer heroes by drafting off of the truck. While this might seem like a fun way to pass time on the highway it can be disastrous. Vision or the lack thereof, for truckers is vital to operating safely. Mirrors provide the only means a driver has to monitor the other vehicles around them. What most drivers of passenger cars don't understand is if they can't see a truck's mirrors then the trucker can't see them. Truck drivers also cite improper passing, overreaction to the turbulence surrounding the truck, and careless lane changes as other issues that cause accidents involving passenger vehicles and trucks. Even the roads conspire against truckers these days. Some of our highways are constantly in need of repair. Everything from potholes to bad guardrails plague truckers, and even missing or improper signage conspire to make trucker's lives more dangerous. Add to that the rising costs of fuel, more regulations, and increased pressure and you can see why driving a big rig is one of the toughest jobs around. Accidents are going to happen until a better way of moving goods can be found. However if truckers will work on getting a little rest, and other drivers learn how to share the roads, things can get safer on our highways and truck accident numbers can start to drop. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Trucking accidents are going to happen. Commercial truck insurance and a good lawyer seem like a good idea to Mr. Douglas. |
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