Drivers in California regularly have to face a number of potential threats on the road, only one of which is large commercial trucks and 18-wheelers. Accidents between a motor vehicle and one of these large trucks can be especially perilous and are far too often occurring.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration keeps track of traffic accidents and fatalities each year.
So let’s take a look at some stats on California truck accidents in recent years:
- 2011: 282 fatalities from truck accidents in the state of California
- 2012: 261 fatalities
- 2013: 259 fatalities
- 2014: 301 fatalities
- 2015: 296 fatalities
Data for 2016 is not yet available.
Essentially, there is an average of nearly 300 fatalities just due to large truck accidents.
What you need to know:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration keeps track of vehicle collisions and their causes. In order to stay safe while driving, it’s important to know how these accidents can happen so you can be more mindful of avoiding them.
There are three main reasons that large truck accidents like those involving a large commercial vehicle or semi-truck tend to occur. They involve the environment, the truck, or the driver.
When we say the environment is a leading cause, we mean environmental issues such as road conditions or the weather. Poor driving conditions like rain, snow and ice can heavily contribute to large trucks like these getting into a dangerous collision. Poor road conditions can also lead to truck accidents, and it’s important to determine if these could be considered the fault of the city for improper upkeep of their roads in your truck accident case.
Secondly, the truck could be the reason one of these accidents happen. Regardless of care of the truck, things happen. For example, faulty brakes, problems with the engine, or other mechanical failures could lead to a collision. For cases like this, it’s important to have an expert look into the vehicle’s issues to see if they could have been prevented by the driver or not.
And finally, the driver is one of the leading causes of truck accidents. These drivers are constantly on the road, and although there are strict regulations to ensure they’re never driving for too many hours straight, not every driver follows the rules every time. Drowsy driving can lead to a driver falling asleep on the road. Other factors could be a medical emergency occurring while the driver is at the wheel, or distracted driving like texting or tailgating. It’s important for drivers of large trucks like these to exercise even more caution than a regular motor vehicle driver, and all too often they fail to do so.
If you’ve been in a California truck accident, call The May Firm. We would love to work on your case with you and ensure you get the compensation you’re due.
