Top factors influencing drivers involved in truck crashes

A large truck accident in Pennsylvania can cause serious injuries to motor vehicle passengers. Truck drivers face many of the same problems motor vehicle drivers face on the roads. The biggest difference is that the truck is much larger than the surrounding vehicles potentially causing more harm in the event of an accident.

The Consumer Notice organization states that large trucks accounted for tens of thousands of injuries and close to 5,000 deaths in America in 2017. There are five key factors that contributed to these accidents: careless driving, speeding, impairment, failure to yield right of way and distraction. These factors affected the driver of the truck or motor vehicle in the majority of truck accidents.

Truck drivers must abide by hours of service limits when driving to help combat fatigue. However, the regulations do not always prevent inattentiveness due to tired eyes. Truck drivers are just as prone to distracted driving as other motor vehicle drivers between smartphones and dispatching devices.

CarSurance cites a 42% increase in bus and truck accidents involving fatalities between 2009 and 2017. Not to mention a 62% increase in accident-related injuries during the same time frame. The studies show that while the number of vehicles on the roads has increased so has the number of tired truck drivers.

Fatigue causes a decrease in concentration that may account for the higher percentage of accidents on highways and rural areas over busy urban communities. Driving while tired is not the only cause of the increase in accidents. Other factors include illegal maneuvers, roadway conditions, nearby traffic and OTC drug use.