Truck accidents happen more frequently than any other type of car accident. While truck drivers are generally responsible for avoiding the problem, their trucks often become the victim of poor driving practices and a lack of attention to the environment. Learn more here to explore.
If you are a truck driver or involved in a truck accident, you may be looking for answers to some of the most common causes of truck accidents.
I’ll go over the most common causes of truck accidents, and provide some advice to help you avoid a future truck accident.
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What Are The Most Common Truck Accidents?
Most of us think that accidents involving trucks are rare occurrences. However, the statistics tell a different story.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2017, there were over 5.7 million truck accidents resulting in more than 33,000 deaths. That is an average of one death every 47 minutes.
According to the NHTSA, about 13% of those accidents involved a semi-truck. Semi trucks are large trucks that haul freight.
The NHTSA says that the most common type of truck accident is rear-ended collisions. Comercial truck accident also increased. According to this statistics in 2019 there were 400 Fedex Truck Accidents.
Rear-end crashes happen when a car gets hit from behind and forces the truck to swerve and change lanes. It can also happen when a truck hits a pedestrian, bicyclist, or another vehicle.
Another common type of truck accident is a rollover. Rollovers happen when a truck overturns, usually after it has been hit by another vehicle. The driver may not realize the truck has overturned until he or she looks in the mirror.
Common Causes Of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents are common and have been around for ages. It is important that you know the causes of truck accidents in order to prevent these accidents from happening again.
You need to know the common causes of truck accidents and also the ways that you can prevent these accidents from happening. Here are some of the common causes of truck accidents and how to prevent them from happening.
Fatigue
Most truck drivers are tired after a long day of driving. Fatigue can lead to mistakes and cause accidents to happen. If you feel tired, you should take a break and sleep for a few hours.
Distracted Driving
Most accidents happen because of distractions. When you are driving, it is important that you keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. If you are distracted, you will end up causing an accident.
Lack of Rest
It is important that you get enough rest when you drive. If you don’t have enough rest, you will feel tired and make mistakes. Make sure that you get enough rest when you are driving.
Driving Too Fast
Driving too fast can be dangerous. If you are driving too fast, you will not be able to see the road clearly and you will have a hard time keeping control of the truck. You should only drive at the speed limit.
Ways To Avoid Truck Accidents
Truck accidents are very common in the road. But, no one knows how the truck accident occurs. There are certain factors that can be easily avoided which is why it is very important to follow these factors.
Driver’s fatigue
A truck driver is an important person of the company because he drives trucks for a living. Every day, he works for an entire day, and he is the sole responsible person of the company.
As he is working for a long time, he should have a good night rest before driving a truck. If you drive for a long time without getting enough sleep, then you will not be able to perform well. You will get tired and you will make mistakes.
Slow down and don’t speed up
Driving a truck is a dangerous job. If you are driving at a high speed, then you will make mistakes and you will get in trouble. So, slow down and don’t speed up.
Use the right gear
A truck has a lot of gears. And, if you use the wrong gear then it will not work properly. So, make sure you use the correct gear.
Keep your eyes open
A truck is a big machine. The drivers should not close their eyes while driving. If you close your eyes, then you will not be able to see the road clearly and you will make mistakes.
Get enough sleep
Truck drivers are very busy people. They work for a long time and they are the sole responsible for their company. So, they should get enough sleep.
If you get too much sleep, then you will not be able to perform well and you will make mistakes. So, try to get at least 8 hours of sleep.