If you’ve been involved in a truck accident in New York City, contact an experienced NYC Personal Injury Attorney to assist with your recovery.
Trucking Accidents: The Truck Driver’s Perspective
Preliminary data from the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration shows that 2010 was not a good year for truck drivers. Although deaths from traffic accidents decreased overall by 2.9 percent in 2009, the number of truck drivers killed in crashes rose by 6 percent. In multi-vehicle accidents, truck driver fatalities jumped 16 percent. The number of injuries resulting from large-truck crashes increased by 12 percent.
Experts are at a loss to explain these developments. Although the number of registered large trucks grew by 3 million from 1999-2009, fatalities and injuries actually fell during this period. Most truck drivers are competent but may often feel pressured by unrealistic schedules that cause them to hurry in spite of safety risks. The current 11-hour driving limit and 14-hour daily on-duty limit has been in place since 2003. Adequate training and experience continue to be essential components of truck driver safety. In addition, proper use and maintenance of large commercial vehicles protects all motorists. Trucks that are overloaded and oversized present traffic hazards, as do those with poorly maintained brakes and faulty safety systems like reflectors, lights and other warning devices.
Trucking Accidents: The Truck Driver’s Perspective
No matter what the cause of your New York truck accident, allow a knowledgeable Personal Injury Attorney in NYC to assist with your recovery.
A 2007 report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration identified the following major causes of large-truck accidents:
- Speeding is found in nearly one-quarter of trucking accidents. With each mile of increased speed, the force of impact from an 80,000 pound truck becomes that much more deadly.
- Driver fatigue is problematic but does not occur as often as expected. It continues to play a role in 13 percent of accidents.
- More common than driver fatigue is drug use, illicit, prescription and over-the-counter, accounting for 26 percent of crashes.
- Unfamiliarity with roads and areas traveled is also a factor in accidents.
- In nearly one in ten crashes, truck drivers ignored simple safety measures, like using a turn signal.
- In 14 percent of accidents, truck drivers failed to properly check blind spots.
- Distractions like roadwork or accidents divert driver attention from the road ahead.
- Drivers of big vehicles may underestimate the level of evasive action needed to avoid crashes.
- Road rage and aggressive driving are risky for all motorists. But the sheer size and weight of large vehicles make this behavior especially dangerous in truck drivers.
Trucking accidents play apart in one out of every nine traffic deaths. The majority of these crashes are caused by drivers of non-commercial vehicles. Drivers and occupants of non-commercial vehicles also suffer more than 3 times the rate of fatalities as drivers and passengers in trucks.