Accidents involving trucks are very common in the United States, especially in areas with high population density and therefore heavy traffic.
Therefore, knowing why these types of accidents occur can help you take precautions to improve road safety and try to avoid dangerous situations.
If you have been in an accident or have been injured, we recommend that you consult with a truck accident lawyer in Austin, who can guide you through the entire legal process to obtain financial compensation if applicable.
To avoid any accident of this nature, here we bring you the 5 most common ways in which truck accidents can occur.
1. Rear-End Collision
As we know, large vehicles such as trucks weigh more than any other car on the roads.
This means that their braking capacity requires a greater number of meters due to their size and weight, and therefore not respecting the appropriate distance from other vehicles can cause accidents.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), rear-end collisions account for a large portion of accidents, with the majority occurring on interstates and highways.
2. Overturns
Another problem with large truck structures is rollovers, which generally occur when the driver tries to perform a maneuver at high speed.
This brings with it the inconvenience of having a poorly tied load, which can cause an even worse accident if the cargo the vehicle was carrying spills onto the road.
3. Driver Inattention
According to a study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), physical fatigue has been identified as a major cause of accidents, so respecting rest hours can be of vital importance.
It is worth noting that, although there is no real measurement to calculate fatigue, most of the data from interviews with drivers after an accident show that one cause of distraction and lack of attention may be precisely physical fatigue.
4. Brake Failure
Proper maintenance of vehicles for road traffic is essential, as it is one of the main causes of accidents recorded in the United States.
Brake failures and other defective components are frequently cited as contributing factors to road accidents.
5. Crash At Intersections
It occurs when the truck fails to brake at a traffic light due to the incompetence or negligence of the driver, taking into account that its braking capacity is up to 40% less than that of a car.
For this reason, it is essential to respect all traffic signs and take educational courses to keep drivers aware of the rules for driving safely.
