Safety Rule Violations

Many of these accidents are preventable if the truck driver followed the rules. A preventable accident is a term of art used by the Department of Transportation. This site will discuss the importance of understanding what is a preventable accident and how accidents are often prevented by actions taken by dispatchers, drivers, safety directors, and motor carriers before the truck route begins. 

Driving a truck is more difficult than driving a car. For example, commercial trucks have large blind spots that require the proper adjustment of mirrors for the truck drivers to monitor those areas for traffic. Failure to do so leads to unsafe lane changes made by commercial truck drivers into cars that were in known blind spots. Interstate truck drivers are also required to maintain a log documenting the hours that they had been driving as well as the location and times of stops. This information is helpful to determine if a truck driver was sleep deprived or running late. Violations of the rules of the road are more likely to occur when a driver is tired or rushed. Improper truck maintenance also leads to accidents.

Drivers are required to have a basic mechanical safety knowledge to verify that their truck is road ready. A pre-trip inspection form is completed by the driver before each trip. The FMCSA requires pre-trip, en-route, and post-trip inspections. A driver is liable for a crash if he failed to complete a proper inspection that would have identified a mechanical defect that contributed to the accident. A company that provides unsafe vehicles and pressures drivers to drive beyond their maximum hours of service can face liability for truck accidents. Illegally parked trucks without adequate lighting or reflective markings lead to catastrophic crashes. Commercial truck drivers by law can only legally drive for so many hours at a time. Coupling the limited number of safe driving hours for commercial truck drivers and a nationwide shortage of parking spaces for tractor-trailers illegal parking will continue to endanger the driving public. Safety procedures such as the use of lights, safety triangles, and clean reflective tape is particularly important in preventing nighttime accidents when trucks are crossing multiple lane roadways or are parked illegally.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, review the page that most accurately describes your accident. The information on those pages highlights important facts that you should share with a Board-Certified truck accident attorney.