Truck drivers need to be the most careful drivers on the road. That’s because the slightest misstep could spell ultimate disaster for a truck driver and any vehicle and its driver and passengers around the truck driver. Big trucks are slow to accelerate, slow to stop, slow to maneuver and they weigh thousands and thousands of pounds more than the average vehicle.
One way of making sure trucks and the vehicles around them stay safe is to educate trucking companies on how accidents commonly occur when they are caused by truck drivers. That way, companies can create policies to promote safer driving practices among their employees. Here are the top three causes of big rig driver-caused accidents:
— Bad training: Truck drivers need to go through a lot of safety training in order to learn how to drive their vehicles safely and appropriately. They also have to learn defensive driving techniques and other tricks to stay safe. Failure to appropriately train a truck driver is a common cause of many accidents.
— Bad compensation strategies: Sometimes, truckers are rewarded for delivering their payloads faster. This can cause them to work longer hours and drive at unsafe speeds. Companies that have bad compensation strategies like this are being reckless and negligent, and they can be held accountable under the law.
— Unrealistic schedules and expectations: Trucking companies sometimes require drivers to operate their vehicles unsafely because they have unrealistic expectations for delivery times. Such requirements promote unsafe driving and contribute to numerous fatal and injurious accidents in Virginia and beyond.
Virginia Beach drivers and their passengers who were injured in trucking accidents caused by negligent truckers or negligent transportation companies may be able to seek financial compensation for their injuries in court. A successfully navigated personal injury claim may also be able to help injured parties recoup the costs of time spent unable to work, court costs and other damages.
Source: FindLaw, “Truck Accident Causes,” accessed Dec. 23, 2016