Approximately every 16 minutes, someone will have been seriously injured or killed in a truck accident. These types of accidents are increasing every year and they occur for a variety of reasons.
Some of the common causes of truck accidents in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States include:
- Driver fatigue
- Driver’s use of drugs or alcohol
- Negligence on the part of the driver by multi-tasking while driving (filling out driving logs, smoking, texting or talking on a cell phone, changing radio stations)
- Equipment failure – tires or brakes
- Improper maintenance/inspection/repair
- Unsecured/improperly balanced load
- Hazardous chemical spill
- Negligent driving in bad weather conditions or on unsafe road conditions
- Unsafe driving – aggressive driving, violating federal and/or state laws
- Truck rollover or jackknifing
- Unqualified/inexperienced driver
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration conducted a “Large Truck Crash Causation Study” in July of 2007. According to the study, hundreds of associated factors were collected for each of the 120,000 truck accidents that occurred during the time period of the study. The top 10 factors contributing to trucking accidents were:
- Brake problems
- Traffic flow interruption (congestion, previous crash)
- Prescription drug or alcohol use
- Traveling too fast for road or highway
- Unfamiliarity with roadway
- Roadway problems
- Failure to stop before crash (traffic control device, crosswalk)
- Over-the-counter drug use
- Inadequate surveillance
- Driver fatigue
Because these types of PA trucking accidents can often result in serious injury, it is imperative that injury victims fully understand their legal options and rights as well as the laws surrounding these types of accidents. For more information on laws and regulations involving trucks in Pennsylvania, browse PA Law Blogs and our truck accident resource center, a valuable legal resource managed and run by experienced truck collision Philadelphia lawyers.
