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With their size, speed, and momentum, trucks require a skilled driver to operate successfully.

Large trucks – vehicles with a gross weight over 10,000 pounds – account for about 4% of all vehicles on the road but almost 10% of all fatal crashes. They also accounted for over 95,000 injuries in 2014 alone.

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With their size, speed, and momentum, trucks require a skilled driver to operate successfully.

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  1. Large trucks – vehicles with a gross weight over 10,000 pounds – account for about 4% of all vehicles on the road but almost 10% of all fatal crashes. • They also accounted for over 95,000 injuries in 2014 alone. • When a truck accident occurs, everyone’s in danger. In fact, 72% of all fatalities and injuries are to the drivers and passengers of the other vehicles involved in the crash – not the truck. • Driving while fatigued is estimated to cause 20% of all accidents on the road and costs society about $109 billion annually.

  2. With their size, speed, and momentum, trucks require a skilled driver to operate successfully. • They’re difficult to drive, and even more difficult to bring under control when things suddenly go wrong. • Common accidents include: • Jackknifes • Tire blowouts • Spillages • Sideswiping • Overturns • Rear-ends

  3. There are three main types of causes for truck accidents: environmental hazards, vehicle problems, and risky driving. • Environmental hazards include everything around the truck driver, like damaged roads, wildlife, and traffic, as well as the weather – wind, rain, ice, etc. • Vehicle problems could be something like a mechanical failure of any part of the 18-wheeler, or something as simple as the load of cargo shifting into a different position. • Finally, there’s risky driving. This means all types of driver error, speeding, proximity to other traffic, drug use, distracted driving, and most importantly, driver fatigue.

  4. Even a microsleep of a couple of seconds is enough to kill. At 60 miles per hour, a vehicle takes only four seconds to cover the length of a football field. • Even if you’re not asleep, sleep deprivation and fatigue leads to a slowdown in the speed of your thinking and your ability to make quick decisions. • Because it affects concentration, too, it can cause you to miss important road signs and drive at erratic speeds, endangering everyone else on the road.

  5. The most straightforward cause of tiredness is simply not enough sleep. The human body needs at least 6-7 hours per night – and preferably more – to remain alert during the day. • Driving heavy machinery and large trucks for long distances also requires great amounts of concentration and energy, and will also make you more tired more quickly. • Sleep disorders such as apnea (obstructed breathing) will interrupt regular sleep and make it less refreshing for the body.

  6. The U.S. Department of Transportation has a set of federal regulations in place called the Hours of Service. • These strictly control the amount of time semi-truck drivers and other large truck drivers can spend on the road without resting and determines how many hours they can work per week. • This is designed to manage fatigue and avoid sleep deprivation. For example, truck drivers can only work for 11 hours within a 14-hour period of time, then they must take 10 consecutive hours off before they can drive again.

  7. Depending on what happened in the accident, a number of parties could be sued for compensation. • Mechanical failures, for example, can be the fault of both the driver and their employer – for insufficient maintenance – and the manufacturer of any defective parts. • In the case of driver fatigue and sleep deprivation, the driver of the truck is liable. Their employer could also be held liable for failing to enforce DoT regulations and overworking their drivers.

  8. One of the first things you should do when you or your family has been involved in a truck accident is to call an attorney. • Johnson Garcia LLP has over 25 years of combined experience helping people just like you get fair compensation for their injuries. • We’re the Houston 18-wheeler truck accident lawyers who cover every angle and pursue every avenue. We’ll find you justice and help you get your life back on track after a truck accident. Contact us now for a free assessment of your case.

  9. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812150https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812150 • https://www.cdc.gov/features/dsdrowsydriving/index.html • https://johnsongarcialaw.com/houston-18-wheeler-truck-accident-lawyer/ • https://www.ehstoday.com/safety/wake-and-drive-fatigue-causes-20-percent-crashes • https://www.nsc.org/road-safety/safety-topics/fatigued-driving

  10. Summary Driving a large truck can be a dangerous and difficult job, and 18-wheeler accidents often happen. Driver fatigue and sleep deprivation are leading causes of preventable crashes—and can ruin many lives in the blink of an eye. Learn how fatigue affects driving, why fatigue happens in the trucking industry, and who could be held liable in the case of an accident.

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