Commercial trucks cause some of the most grisly accidents on roads today. Statistic shows that last year about 500,000 accidents on the road are caused by directly or indirectly by commercial trucks and five thousand out of these lead to deaths.
To avoid common causes of commercial truck accidents, a truck driver needs to be not only responsible, but also be highly aware on the road. Truck driving can be extremely safe if the right person is driving.
So, what can cause to commercial truck accidents on the road:
- FATIGUE
Probably, one of the most common causes of commercial truck accidents is fatigue, and it’s not so easy to avoid it on the road. Truck drivers are under a lot of pressure when employers demand the delivery of goods to certain destinations within a short period of time.
That’s why truck drivers typically drive over long distances for hours and hours, with very little sleep in between. They lose concentration, coordination and it can cause sleeping at the wheel.
When you start getting sleepy, all you need to do is stop driving. Also you can take care about proper scheduling and common sense in advance. Don’t hesitate to ask for a later deadline, it won’t make a company so much upset than falling asleep at the wheel.
- POOR DRIVER TRAINING
As a truck driving school in Tacoma, it is disheartening to know that poor training causes so many commercial truck accidents.
A good truck driver must acquire a certain amount of training hours before they are allowed to drive a commercial vehicle on the public roads. But not all truck drivers meet these requirements. As a result we have a poorly-trained driver with little experience behind the wheel.
- POOR TRUCK MAINTANCE
Trucks must be always in top condition before beginning the trip. So truck owners must maintain their vehicles at all times. It takes time and costs to keep trucks in good shape. Truck owners do not normally do this; they use this time to make deliveries. So, poorly maintained trucks being became one of the biggest causes of truck accidents.
To avoid it a truck owner should:
- keep their trucks in good shape
- keep a record of progress and issues
- make their trucks safe
- ALCOHOL AND DRUG USE
Many truckers have been found guilty of using alcohol and drugs while on the job, which has caused truck accidents.
If you’re a truck driver, don’t drive being intoxicated with anything that will impair your driving. Not only drinking many beers can make a driver too cloudy-headed but also taking a prescription medication.
- DISTRACTED DRIVER
It’s very important not to allow anything to take your attention off the road because a distracted driver is one of the biggest causes of commercial truck accidents.
Driving for many hours over long distances, drivers begin to look for something to kill the boredom. So they try to do one of several things:
- use their phones to read or reply text messages
- make phone calls
- visit social media sites
- change the car radio station even on the freeway at a high speed
- eat when driving
All these actions can cause someone to death, or even you, just because you’re getting a little bored. Try to avoid anything that might distract you.
SPEEDING
The main cause why a truck driver drives over the speed limit is that being under a lot of pressure from the company; they try to meet delivery deadlines. Over-speeding also has the effect of significantly reducing reaction time. When driving at high speeds, drivers may be suddenly required to veer into another section of the road. But it is not always possible at high speeds.
Also overtaking smaller cars at high speeds can lead to serious accidents.
Be responsible and try to stick to the speed limit.
Each of these problems is easily avoidable. Don’t let these causes sway you. With the right training, you will be a more careful and responsible driver. Contact us to learn more about becoming a great truck driver.