The primary causes of trucking accidents in New York include distracted driving, fatigue, and mechanical failures. In this bustling urban environment, these factors contribute to a heightened risk on the roads. When these accidents occur, seeking assistance from experienced Truck Accident Lawyers in New York is crucial. These legal professionals understand the intricacies of such cases and play a vital role in navigating the legal complexities, ensuring victims have adept representation to pursue compensation and justice for the damages suffered.
Auto accidents can have dreadful consequences and cause enormous human and material losses. While all road accidents can lead to serious damages, accidents involving trucks can have even more dreadful outcomes. That’s because trucks are much larger vehicles than personal cars and the chances of a truck accident resulting in serious injuries or death are much higher than in other types of auto accidents.
Truck accidents also have different legal implications than standard auto accidents because the laws and regulations involved differ. If you have the misfortune of being involved in a truck accident, the wisest thing you can do is look for the best trucking accident lawyers to help you with your case.
But since prevention is better than treatment, it’s important to understand why trucking accidents happen in the first place. So, here are some of the most common causes of truck accidents.
Fatigue
Stress, long work hours and lack of sleep can seriously affect a truck driver’s ability to control the vehicle. It’s important for truck drivers to take regular breaks in between jobs and get some proper rest before they hit the road again, otherwise they can experience concentration and coordination issues or even fall asleep while driving.
Distracted driving
Distracted driving is a major issue concerning all drivers out there, and truck drivers make no exception. In fact, they can be even more tempted than other drivers to use their phones or do some other activities while they’re behind the wheel, because driving for many hours can get boring at some point.
Impaired driving
One might not think of truck drivers as a category that is prone to alcohol or drug abuse, but statistics tell a different story. Recent studies revealed that 30% of truck drivers have taken stimulants such as cocaine or marijuana to help them stay awake while they were on the job.
Speed
Truck drivers are often on a tight schedule and have to get from point A to point B in due time to meet their deadlines, which is why they sometimes drive faster than the speed limit and ignore road regulations. Speed is the culprit for many disastrous road accidents involving trucks.
Lack of experience
All truck drivers have to go through proper training in order to drive a commercial vehicle. But in some cases, the training might not be thorough enough and the driver can go out on the road before gaining the necessary knowledge and experience, putting themselves and other road users at risk for truck accidents.
Poor maintenance
Driving a truck that doesn’t undergo regular checks and isn’t properly maintained further increases the risks of getting involved in a traffic accident. Routine maintenance for trucks is of the utmost importance to keep the vehicle running smoothly and keep hazards at bay.
Cargo errors
There are certain rules and regulations one has to comply with when loading a truck, such as adhering to a certain weight and size, special requirements for handling hazardous materials, securing the load etc. Ignoring these rules can lead to disastrous accidents.
