Texas has one of the highest rates of truck accidents in the United States. With its expansive highway system crisscrossing the state, over 500,000 truck drivers share the roads with regular passenger vehicles. This inevitably leads to collisions and crashes. While some accidents may be unavoidable, many truck crashes can be attributed to common causes that could potentially be prevented.
Driver Fatigue
One of the most common factors in truck crashes is driver fatigue. Truck drivers are often under intense pressure to meet tight delivery schedules, leading many to forego adequate rest breaks. Drowsy driving impairs reaction times and judgement, making drivers more prone to errors and slower to respond to hazards on the road.
Federal regulations limit truckers to 11 hours of driving per day, but many fudge their logbooks or simply ignore these rules. Drowsy or sleep deprived drivers are estimated to be involved in around 30-40% of all truck crashes. Fatigue-related accidents often occur late at night or early morning when circadian rhythms make it harder for drivers to stay alert.
Speeding
Excessive speed is a major contributor to truck accidents in Texas. Trucks require much longer stopping distances than regular passenger vehicles. Even small increases in speed dramatically reduce the ability for a fully loaded 18-wheeler to come to a halt. Higher speeds also increase the force of impact in a collision, leading to more severe injuries and damage.
Despite speed limits, truck drivers may speed to complete deliveries on time. Downhill grades can also cause trucks to accelerate unchecked. While experienced commercial drivers understand the risks of speeding, some newer truckers underestimate the handling challenges of driving a heavy rig at high speeds.
Driver Inexperience
Inexperience and lack of training are common causes of truck crashes involving newer commercial drivers. Trucking companies struggling with high turnover rates may fail to provide adequate supervision or on-road training for novice drivers. Some of these new drivers receive truncated training and quickly find themselves navigating Texas highways alone.
Inexperienced truckers may struggle judging gaps in traffic, turning their large vehicles, securing cargo properly, and driving defensively to account for blind spots. Their lack of experience also makes them less able to prevent or recover from situations like blowouts, skids, or inclement weather. While supervised on-the-job training helps, nothing replaces time behind the wheel in building driving skills.
Distracted Driving
Much like regular motorists, truckers face distractions that take their attention from driving. Truck cabs contain many potential sources of distraction – cell phones, GPS units, radios, and onboard computers. Truckers eating, texting, or even just checking their mirrors and instruments can become distracted.
To combat distraction, most trucking fleets prohibit cell phone use while driving. However, some drivers still engage in these risky behaviors, unable to resist the temptation. Distracted truckers may wander out of their lanes, fail to notice stopped traffic ahead, or react slowly to roadway hazards. These errors caused by diverted attention are entirely preventable with focused driving.
Impaired Driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs remains an ongoing issue with truck drivers, despite federal regulations and company policies prohibiting impairment on the job. Some truckers struggle with substance abuse which clouds their judgment and slows reaction times when behind the wheel.
Drug use is also a problem, as the demanding trucking lifestyle leads some drivers to rely on stimulants to combat fatigue and make long hauls. However, amphetamines like cocaine or crystal meth impair perception, encourage risk taking, and can cause erratic aggressive driving. Whether due to recreational use or addiction issues, an impaired truck driver endangers everyone sharing the roads.
Poor Truck Maintenance
Mechanical defects and maintenance issues with trucks are avoidable factors that contribute to many crashes. Brake failure is a common problem, disabling a truck’s ability to stop and increasing stopping distance. Defective brake pads, drums, rotors, and calipers can all cause brakes to fail if not properly serviced.
Tire blowouts are another frequent issue, caused by worn tread or inadequate tire pressure. Retreaded tires prone to blowouts may be used to cut costs. Other vital maintenance issues like broken lights, worn windshield wipers, and faulty mirrors also create hazards if not addressed. While drivers do pre-trip inspections, time pressures lead some to skip thorough checks.
Cargo Loading Errors
How a truck is loaded impacts its handling, stability, and chance of being involved in an accident. Cargo that is improperly loaded, secured, or overweight can cause rollovers or jackknife crashes. Shifting loads change a truck’s center of gravity, reducing control of the driver. Unbalanced cargo or concentrated weight in the trailer over the rear axle leads to fishtailing. Double-stacked cargo adds height that raises a truck’s rollover risk.
Spotty training and oversight of cargo loading means mistakes happen frequently. Chains, straps, and pallets may not adequately secure the load. Drivers may fail to confirm weight dispersal meets standards. Negligent cargo loading by warehouses, shippers, and trucking companies contributes to many truck crashes annually.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving behaviors like tailgating, unsafe passing, speeding, and frequent lane changes increase risks for truck drivers and nearby vehicles. Trucking’s pay structures incentivize getting loads to destinations as quickly as possible, which can encourage speeding and reckless maneuvers in some drivers. Road rage or frustration also leads to poor driving choices.
Large trucks already require longer distances for passing and braking. Compounding that with aggressive driving tactics leaves little margin for error. Impatient truckers attempting to pass multiple vehicles at once or dart across lanes escalate chances of sideswipes or run-ins with passenger cars. Other high-risk behaviors like failure to signal or yield right of way result from aggressive habits.
Difficult Driving Conditions
Hazardous driving conditions also factor into many truck crashes in Texas. Rainy or icy roads reduce traction and make braking distances hard to judge. High crosswinds can push large trucks out of their lanes or lead to rollovers. Fog obscures vision and reduces time to react. Even things like wet leaves covering the pavement in fall can become slippery and dangerous for trucks.
Rural highways with narrow lanes or limited shoulders offer less room to correct driving errors. Congested urban areas bring challenges like frequent stopping and starting, navigating tight turns, and pedestrians darting across roads unexpectedly. Truck drivers need extra caution navigating any difficult driving environment to avoid accidents.
Driver Health Issues
Medical conditions and declining health in aging truck drivers contribute to accidents as well. Heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, and other chronic health problems can strike without warning, incapacitating a trucker. Signs of a heart attack, stroke, seizures, or blackouts give little advance notice.
Sudden onset of these medical conditions make it impossible for even an experienced driver to guide a truck safely off the road before losing consciousness. Warning signs like swerving, rapid lane changes, or erratic speeds are often the only clues of an underlying medical issue. Unfortunately, the outcome is frequently a catastrophic crash requiring the assistance of an Austin truck accident lawyer.
Contact Us for Assistance
If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident with a commercial truck, contact the experienced attorneys at Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys for a free consultation at 800-4THE-WIN (800-484-3946). We have a proven track record holding trucking companies and at-fault drivers accountable. Call now to discuss your options for pursuing maximum compensation for your injuries and damages with a truck accident attorney Austin TX.
