Safer Truckers Make Safer Roadways
Trucks are the heartbeat of America’s highways. 18-wheelers cross the highways and boulevards of the nation, bringing goods to local consumers. Since they are an important part of commerce, there are thousands of big rigs on the roads every day.
Because of the omnipresence of truckers on the roads, trucker safety is extremely important. An unsafe trucker can put many lives at risk. The sheer size and weight of the vehicle makes it more likely to cause substantial damage to other vehicles on the road. When a trucker causes injury to an otherwise safe driver because of some negligence, injured parties may endeavor to hold him or her responsible for the harm they cause.
Truck accidents occur far too often
In any given year, hundreds of thousands of accidents involving large trucks occur on the nation’s roadways, including many here in Mississippi. Numerous truck drivers suffer injuries or die in these accidents right along with other motorists.
Like anyone else on the road, truck drivers may drive at least 10 miles over the speed limit on occasion. Considering that these large vehicles don’t exactly stop on a dime, this behavior puts lives at risk.
Truckers also drive for many hours a day, and they are likely to suffer from common risks such as drowsy driving and distracted driving. Visual, manual and cognitive distractions can contribute to the likelihood of an accident. Text messaging, typically illegal in all states, is especially dangerous because it combines all types of distraction.
Too many trucking companies fail to provide their drivers with written safety policies to help keep them from engaging in risky driving behaviors as they travel the country’s roadways.
Fostering safety
Law enforcement, trucking agencies and truckers themselves can come together to ensure greater safety on the roads. Truckers have families at home waiting on them, and the other drivers on the road hope to come home to their families as well. Distracted driving and other unsafe driving behaviors do not only affect the person operating the vehicle. It can also mean life or death for other innocent people.
In a perfect world, everyone would embrace safe driving practices so that everyone makes it home each day, but sadly, such a world does not exist. If you suffered injuries, or lost a loved one, due to the neglectful actions of a truck driver, you have the right to seek legal recourse.
