It has been said that trucking is the lifeblood of the American economy. When you consider that the trucking industry, in the U.S., moves over 10 billion tons or 70% of all the country’s freight per year and that an estimated 80% of all U.S. communities rely exclusively on trucks for the delivery of goods and commodities, it is easy to see why so many hold this opinion.
It is also easy to understand that with professional drivers logging in excess of 275 billion miles on American highways each year, how they can also account for 500,000+ auto accidents with 10% of those involving a traffic fatality.
For those that like statistics that equates to approximately 1,370 wrecks and 14 deaths per day, every day, involving a professional trucker.
Bigger is Better
If these numbers seem disproportionate, it must be remembered that in crashes, all things are ruled by the law of physics. With an allowed weight of 80,000 lbs., an eighteen wheeler has much more mass and when moving, momentum than anything else on the road.
When you add to this the fact that by sitting much higher than the average 4, or heaven forbid 2, wheeled vehicles they have a great advantage as to leverage and a tendency to climb over rather than to squarely impact and push as other vehicles do, the numbers begin to make sense.
In short, this is one case where bigger is definitely better, from a driver safety standpoint, and in fact, it is fairly rare for a truck driver to be seriously injured in a collision with a smaller vehicle.
Why tractor Trailer Accidents Happen
If all the above sounds like an indictment of truck drivers or the trucking industry as a whole, it shouldn’t be taken as such. It is simply a statement of the facts. In truth, the majority of professional truck drivers are very good drivers. Considering the number of miles they drive each year, truck drivers should be commended.
It has to be remembered, though, that trucking is an industry and drivers are human. Just as with any other type of work, companies and drivers make mistakes and cut corners from time to time. These companies are subject to greed and drivers to fatigue and carelessness same as people in any other industry.
Unfortunately, when truck drivers and the companies that they work for, cut corners or make mistakes, it puts the lives of everyone else on the road at risk.
The top causes of fault are:
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Money is Money
Equally sad is the fact that just like any other business, trucking companies and the insurance companies that will represent them when they make fatal errors in judgment are in business to make money. That is their primary interest and if you are injured or someone you care for is killed by one of their errors in judgment, they are not simply going to step up, take responsibility and pay you what is rightfully and legally yours.
You are going to need to hire a personal injury attorney with the experience and professional contacts to protect your rights and make sure that you receive the settlement that you have coming.