Mistakes truckers make that cause motor vehicle accidents

As Kentucky residents may be aware, there are a variety of circumstances that could lead to a semi-truck crash. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration undertook a major study of truck and commercial vehicle accidents and determined that many accidents are caused by several “critical events.” These critical events are primarily attributable to mistakes made by truck drivers.

One of the biggest critical events found by the FMCSA was the failure of truck drivers to keep their rigs in their lanes. Driving into other lanes or driving off the road made up about 32 percent of the accidents studied in the report. The failure of a truck driver to maintain control over their vehicle poses major dangers to others who must operate near them.

Another critical event identified by the FMCSA was general loss of control by truck drivers. This critical event includes but is not limited to drivers operating too fast for conditions, drivers operating with unsecure or improperly secured cargos, and drivers failing to maintain control due to adverse road conditions. Around 29 percent of the studied accidents fell into this category.

Finally, driver inattentiveness led to an additional 22 percent of studied accidents and resulted in trucks causing rear-end collisions with other vehicles on the roads. Rear-end collisions can be especially damaging to truck accident victims as they can cause whiplash, neck problems and other serious physical harm.

Truck and commercial vehicle accidents can result in significant pain and suffering for victims. Through litigation, a victim may be able to seek compensation if appropriate for the harm they suffered in these often-preventable collisions.