Causes of Truck Accidents
Columbus, Dublin, New Albany and all of Ohio
Although trucks represent only 4% of all vehicles on the road, 12% of all fatal accidents involve a large truck, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) latest statistics; When a large truck is involved in an accident, it is more likely that someone will not only be hurt, but killed, and in 80% or more of cases, the person killed was in another vehicle besides the large truck; This is a good reminder to exercise caution when driving around semi trucks, but sometimes accidents occur despite our caution.
If you were injured or lost a loved one in a large truck accident in or near Columbus, Ohio, contact the personal injury attorneys at Robert W. Kerpsack CO., L.P.A. to discuss your legal options.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
The most common causes of truck accidents are:
- Speeding
- Improper lane change
- Rear-ending another vehicle
- Driver inattention
- Failure to yield right of way
In the FMCSA's Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS), driver-related factors were considered critical to 87% of crashes; More than any other cause, a bad decision by the truck driver was cited as the critical reason for a crash.
Less Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Equipment failure is a less common cause of truck accidents, being cited in 10% of crashes in the LTCCS.
Environment, and roadway factors were cited as critical reasons for only 3% of crashes in the LTCCS, but it should be noted that 24% of all fatal crashes in work zones involved a large truck.
Compared to passenger car drivers, truck drivers are much less likely to be cited for driving drunk in a fatal accident; Less than 1% of truck drivers were driving drunk when the fatal accident occurred, compared to 23% of passenger car drivers.
Getting Dangerous Drivers off the Road
With driver-related factors being such a large contributor to truck accidents, it is important that trucking companies properly screen and monitor their drivers. A truck accident lawsuit can help this, not only by giving trucking companies more incentive to screen their drivers, but also by preventing drivers from hushing up a dangerous accident.
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a large truck accident, contact us today to schedule your initial free consultation.
