Parker Waichman LLP

Many factors can contribute to serious injuries and death in collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles. Some of these factors include:

  • Lack of bumpers, high truck bumper height
  • Distracted driving
  • Speeding
  • Jackknifing
  • Aggressive driving
  • Long driving shifts, driver fatigue
  • Failure to inspect equipment
  • Improper lane changing
  • Drug and alcohol abuse
  • Brake Failure

Tractor-trailers are huge. Heavy vehicles have extreme force when travelling at high speeds. A truck traveling at 70 miles per hour has almost twice as much force as a truck travelling at 50 miles per hour. In the event of a collision, trucks often have front bumpers that are high and puncture the passenger compartment of a smaller vehicle. Many trucks have no rear bumpers to protect smaller vehicles.

The longer amounts of time truckers can drive, the more potential revenue for trucking companies. Truck drivers log more than 125,000 miles a year on the road. Studies show that truck driver fatigue plays a role in large truck crashes and that drivers are more likely to crash after many long hours of driving. Surveys reveal that many drivers of large trucks violate the federal regulations on hours of service.

All truck drivers with a commercial driver license (CDL) are subject to drug and alcohol testing. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Traffic Safety of interstate tractor-trailer drivers found that an estimated 15% of all drivers had marijuana, 12% had non-prescription stimulants, 5% had prescription stimulants, 2% had cocaine, and less than 1% had alcohol in their systems. In an early 1990s report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) studied 182 fatal truck accidents. The results found that nearly 12.5% of the tractor-trailer accidents were caused by drivers using marijuana. Analysis and tests show that one in five drivers use stimulants to battle driver fatigue.

Contact Truck Accidents Law Firm today if you or a loved one were injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer. Call us on 1-800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636) for more information. We will review your case free of charge, and we don’t get paid unless we win or settle your case.

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