Take a good look around the next time you’re wandering the aisles of your neighborhood shopping emporium. It’s likely that almost every item on the shelf – every apple, every bag of dog food, every pair of blue jeans – was transported via commercial truck. Before that, trucks transferred most of the ingredients, components, and raw materials used from their source to one or more manufacturing plants.

The modern logistics and transportation system is a wonder to behold. A vast nationwide network made up of large delivery companies, independent owner-operators, and everything in between, these trucks are literally the engines that drive the American economy. But according to some experts and analysts, the trucking industry also deserves another distinction – to be ranked among the most serious, pervasive threats to public safety.

Whether you call them big rigs, diesels, tractor-trailers, 18-wheeler, or semi trucks, these large commercial vehicles account for a disproportionate number of collisions, wrecks, and crashes each year. Critics contend that a slew of questionable practices and safety lapses may contribute to the problem, and the gradual but steady deregulation of the industry over the last decade has also come under fire from public safety advocates.

What are your chances of being involved in a collision with a commercial truck? Which factors and variables could increase your risk for colliding with a truck? Read on for hints, tips, and insights from top industry experts.

Truck Accident Fast Facts

- Over the past two decades, the number of registered large trucks has increased by more than 40%, while the number of miles traveled by large trucks has increased by nearly 85%.

- Drivers over the age of 65 are involved in fatal accidents with heavy trucks more than three times more often than their younger counterparts.

- In a collision between a car and a large truck, passenger car occupants are 29 times more likely to be fatally injured.

- According to data gathered by the National Transportation Safety Board, driver fatigue may cause or contribute to up to 40% of all truck collisions.

- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2004 alone, 416,000 large trucks were involved in traffic crashes in the United States; of these, 4,862 involved fatalities.

- In the last year for which comprehensive records are available, 5,190 people died in the United States as result of collisions with large trucks, comprising 12% of all known traffic fatalities. 116,000 were non-fatally injured in collisions with large trucks during the same period.

- In 2004, one out of eight traffic deaths occurred as a result of a collision with a large truck.

What are the Factors that Cause Truck Collisions?

Each traffic collision is different, but analysts have found that a number of factors are more likely to be involved when the wreck involves a large commercial truck. According to government safety statistics, the most common causes of big rig wrecks include:

- Driver fatigue

- Excessive or unsafe speeds

- Tailgating or close following

- Driver inattention

- Cell phone usage

- Improper maintenance

- Failure to adapt to changing weather or road conditions

- Excessive or improperly secured cargo loads

- Sudden lane changes

- Aggressive driving habits

- Drug or alcohol intoxication

The Heller Law Firm – http://www.seriousinjury.org
If you have been injured in a truck accident, The Heller Law Firm can help you understand your options and protect your legal rights. They promise to treat your concerns with the consideration and respect you deserve. Please contact the attorneys at The Heller Law Firm for a free consultation with a personal injury attorney, or call them direct at 866-461-5791. You will hear from them either the same day or within 24 hours. Their lawyers provide high-quality legal representation for personal injury clients throughout the Southern California area, including Los Angeles, Calabasas, Sherman Oaks, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks. They offer consultations in their offices or other locations which are convenient for you, including a hospital or your home.

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Each day, U.S roadways are traveled by passenger vehicles, patrol cars, emergency vehicles, and delivery trucks, all heading to various destinations across cities and states. Given the sheer number of automobiles on the road, accidents are very common and may range from simple fender-benders to serious injury accidents.

Accidents that involve delivery trucks may carry significantly higher risks of injury due to the typically larger size of vehicles involved. Delivery trucks often have more powerful engines and are of a higher weight-class than passenger vehicles like cars and light trucks. In addition, delivery trucks are often burdened by merchandise or items destined for another location, which often requires a greater breaking distance and additional room to maneuver.

If the delivery vehicle is attached to a trailer, the risk to others on the roadway greatly increases. There have been many recorded accidents involving delivery vehicles that involved the attached trailer tipping over, flipping, or obstructing a highway after a collision. In any event, a vehicle used for the transport of goods can be very destructive in the event of a collision.

If an accident is the fault of reckless or negligent behavior on the part of the delivery driver, other individuals involved in the accident may be eligible for compensation for medical bills, pain, suffering, lost wages, and punitive damages. It is important for drivers of vehicles used for commerce to operate their vehicles with the utmost care and awareness of others on the road.

There have been many cases of injury due to the recklessness of drivers of large delivery vehicles, but there have also been documented cases of persons being hurt in collisions with smaller cars and trucks, including mail vehicles, transport vans, and pizza delivery vehicles. As with other collisions, if the delivery driver is behaving in a reckless manner and is involved in a collision with someone else, he or she may be held liable for the damages.

Specific cases have involved pizza delivery drivers colliding with other vehicles or pedestrians on neighborhood streets. The demands of the job often require drivers to run their product to the customer on a strict time limit. These pressures may result in faster speeds and reckless maneuvers on the road to get the product to the customer on time. In any event, delivery drivers of any type of vehicle should be aware of the need for caution and responsible driving.

If you would like to know more about transport vehicles and personal injury lawsuits, visit the website of the Madison personal injury attorneys of Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C.

Joseph Devine

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