The typical passenger vehicle weighs about 3,000 pounds. Heavy, by any standards. And, when traveling at unsafe speeds or driven by a dangerous driver can and does inflict serious property and physical damage. Now, multiple that by 30. The average weight of a fully loaded 18-wheeler can weigh over 90,000 pounds. 18-wheelers, big rigs, semis, trucks, are everywhere on our nations roadways, 24-hours a day. Yes, they are delivering the foods and supplies we all need. No, there doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by when we don’t hear about a fatal, tragic or worse yet, an avoidable accident involving an 18-wheeler.
“18-wheeler Loses Control, Kills 2”…
“Big Rig Accidents On The Rise”…
“Brakes Fail, Child Loses Life”…
“Trucks Run Off Road, Injure 5”…
We hear about stories like these every single day. Every year, there are more than 500,000 truck accidents in the United States. The property damage, physical injuries and fatalities that are a consequence of these accidents causes untold damage on the friends and families of those that were injured or perished, and billions and billions of dollars of damage. Are some of the accidents avoidable, the result of carelessness and negligence? Yes, they are!
Most common reasons for 18-wheeler accidents:
— Blind spots
— Lack of proper brake maintenance
— Road trash, debris
— Tired driver
— Truck traveling at excessive speeds
— Tires fail
— Shipments move in the trailer itself
— Driver negligence
According to The Large Truck Crash Causation Study, tired drivers, drunk or chemically impaired drivers, and excessive speeds are the major factors in motor vehicle crashes overall. This is in and of itself incredibly alarming – that there are big rig drivers on the road, probably right now, that are impaired by alcohol, drugs or just plain tired. Any impairment at all, when these guys and gals are operating trucks that weigh 10’s of 1000’s of pounds and travel in excess of 100MPH, can and does cause accidents on our roads. According to this same report, while the presence of tired, drunk or speeding drivers does not always result in an accident, it can increase the likelihood. Also, other driver, vehicle, and environmental factors like weather, wear and tear on the vehicle, faulty parts or road conditions can increase the risk of a crash.
