New Orleans Personal Injury Attorneys

What are the most common causes of truck accidents?

On Behalf of | Aug 27, 2014 | Truck Accidents

Large commercial motor vehicles that are traveling the roadways of Louisiana and sharing those roadways with smaller passenger vehicles present unique risks that are not created by other types of vehicles. Therefore, these large trucks are held to a higher standard of care than many other vehicles that drive throughout the state. However, this obviously doesn’t mean that there is never a truck accident. In fact, 18-wheeler accidents seem to occur quite often and this raises the question: What causes these accidents?

First, sometimes these accidents are actually caused by drivers of passenger vehicles. Sometimes these passenger vehicle drivers commit unsafe acts and these acts lead to a truck accident and potentially serious injuries. The most common type of unsafe act is when the driver of a passenger vehicle is simply ignorant of the capabilities of a large commercial truck. This is usually the lack of realization that a large truck does not have the same braking and visibility capabilities as a small passenger vehicle or motorcycle.

Some common unsafe acts committed by drivers of smaller vehicles include driving in the “no-zone,” abruptly changing lanes in front of a truck, driving between large trucks, passing with insufficient headway and much more.

Second, sometimes commercial motor vehicle accidents are caused by the drivers of these very large vehicles. In addition to the inherent dangers present due to the nature of the vehicle and the loads they carry, there are dangers in the business that can lead to these accidents.

Some of these dangers include inadequate training, compensation that encourages drivers to speed and driver longer than is legally allowed and unrealistic expectations and schedules that lead to unsafe driving patterns.

When a trucking accident occurs it can quickly become very complicated due to the additional regulations that apply to these cases. It is often best to get more information when involved in this type of accident in order to help determine whether compensation is due and how to best go about obtaining it.

Source: FindLaw, “Common Causes of Truck Accidents,” accessed on Aug. 24, 2014

Source: FindLaw, “Common Causes of Truck Accidents,” accessed on Aug. 24, 2014

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