When it comes to truck drivers in the United States, many believe that they don’t get enough sleep, they work long hours without breaks, that they are untrained or too young and that they are a danger to other drivers on the roads. This is made clear in some instances when truck drivers get into crashes with other drivers. In many cases, the crash is a direct result of a lack of sleep or distractions.
Take, for example, this case involving a 38-year-old man. He claimed he was a safe driver, always paying attention behind the wheel of his truck. However, in this case, he was seen paying attention to a black tablet computer instead of the road. He was driving the 18-wheeler at 70 mph when he collided with a 2014 Toyota Camry. He never slowed down.
In that crash, which resulted in a fire, four people died. Fatal truck crashes are becoming more common, and that is for everyone on the roads in America. This is just one example of how bad they can be.
In 2016, 4,300 people were killed in accidents with semis and large commercial vehicles. That was a 28 percent increase over the number of total collisions that took place in 2009. Despite this, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not done much to improve truck safety.
The most common crashes tend to involve rear-ending other vehicles. The NHTSA could potentially prevent these crashes from ever happening by requiring certain technologies inside commercial vehicles. Rear-end collision avoidance technologies have been common for many years, especially among passenger vehicles. It’s hoped that the trucking industry will take note and take steps to keep others safe from accidental rear-end collisions in the future.
If you were injured in a crash with a semi or you lost a loved in a similar crash, you have a right to seek compensation for the damages you suffered. An experienced attorney can help you learn more about the legal options available to you.