Truck accidents can cause catastrophic injuries and harm to victims, which is why it is essential for truck accident victims to be familiar with the legal protections available to them. Legal protections could help them with the physical, financial and emotional damages they have suffered.
Legal protections for victims of trucking industry negligence
Are truck accidents increasing or decreasing?
It is becoming all-too-common to hear of semi-truck accidents occurring in Virginia and across the nation. Despite tightening federal regulations on trucking regulations, one report indicates that over the past 10 years, the number of deadly large truck accidents in the United States is growing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that between 2009 and 2017, the number of deadly accidents involving large trucks rose 42%. In 2017, approximately 4,800 individuals lost their lives in such accidents.
Distance, distractions, and dangerous truck accidents
Virginia roads and highways are often traveled by commercial drivers who, in their rigs and massive trucks, carry the goods that residents want and need. Trucks and their drivers are integral parts of the cycle of commerce in the United States, and through trucking many businesses are able to deliver their products to stores, customers, and wholesalers. Although trucking is an important means of transport for retail and commercial items, it can be a dangerous practice when truck drivers fail to meet their duties of care.
How serious is truck driver fatigue?
We all get tired from time to time. This is often due to lack of sleep. And for some individuals in Virginia and elsewhere, the source of their fatigue is due to being overworked. A fatigued driver is dangerous to have on the roadways. However, it may be even more risky for an overworked and tired truck driver to be on the roadways. While federal trucking regulations seek to reduce hours of service violations, fatigued truck drivers are the cause of truck accidents every day.
Factors that cause truck accidents
Large trucks are very useful to society. Whether it is a semi-truck making a shipment, a delivery truck delivering packages, a construction carrying material to a job site or a garbage truck making its runs, these massive trucks share the road with other motorists. While it is common to travel by these types of trucks without any issue, the reality is that these vehicles do pose some risks. If a truck driver is not properly trained, overworked, distracted or intoxicated, this could result in a serious even fatal truck crash.
Helping with the aftermath of a truck accident
Most Virginia residents are used to sharing the road with large trucks. These massive vehicles play a major role in commerce, as they are tasked with transporting goods and deliveries to their final destinations. While these large vehicles are not going anywhere, they do continue to pose great risks on the roadways. Federal trucking regulations have been passed with the purpose of addressing these concerns, yet, truck accidents still occur.
Seeking legal recourses following a truck crash
During the winter months, residents in Virginia and elsewhere tend to see a spike in large truck traffic. Semi-trucks and tractor-trailer trucks are used to transport goods, many of which as purchased as gifts. Because of this, these large trucks fill the roads in an attempt to get these products to their final destinations. However, truck drivers can be under a lot of pressure, causing them to work long hours and travel long distances.
Truck accidents
Nowadays, individuals in Virginia and elsewhere rely on shopping for things on-line. It is not only convenient to go to the store on the weekends or after work, making on-line shopping one's go-to for most things that they need. Because of this, goods are shipped all across the state and nation, and the trucking industry is relied on to get these deliveries to their final destination on a timely basis. While large trucks, such as semi-trucks and tractor-trailers is an efficient way to ship goods, this can cause many risks on the roadways. When a truck driver or trucking company does not follow federal trucking regulations, this could be the cause of a serious and even fatal truck crash.
Why are there fatigued truck drivers on the roadways?
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.
What are the common causes of truck accidents?
With millions of commercial trucks traveling on the roadways across the nation, it is no wonder that motorists in Virginia and elsewhere are used to sharing the roads with the massive vehicles. These large trucks are beneficial and valuable to society, as they provide a adequate and favorable method to transport goods and products. However, commercial trucks pose many risks, even causing serious and fatal truck accidents.
