Virginians have done it at one point or another: push through a task when they are tired. The days get busy and our schedules get overloaded, but there is a difference between working on a school assignment or a work project late into the night and driving through the night to make a delivery or shipment. Unfortunately, truck drivers are often tasked with traveling long distances, meaning they drive long hours. This creates a great concern for fatigued driving. Although federal trucking regulations address this, they unfortunately do not prevent it from occurring and causing truck crashes.
Why are there fatigued truck drivers on the roadways? When victims are harmed in a truck crash, he or she may not automatically think, “how did this happen?”
During investigations, authorities consider a wide variety of causes, one being fatigued driving. Because truck drivers work long hours, it is likely that they end up behind the wheel tired. Thus, it is important to assess whether a fatigued truck driver was the cause the truck accident.
It was found that the average truck driver only gets 5 hours of sleep. This is 2 to 4 hours less than what they need. Often, truck drivers are expected to drive long hours, not allowing them to take their necessary breaks. Finally, truck drivers are compelled to speed up or driver long to obtain benefits for making a delivery sooner.
Victims of a truck accident should understand their rights and options. This means exploring the cause and whether negligence is to blame. This could help with the collection of compensation for losses and damages suffered because of a truck crash.