Every year there are approximately half a million truck and commercial vehicle accidents in the United States. And unfortunately, the size of trucks means that a much higher proportion of these accidents results in fatalities. Truck drivers are not always at fault for many of these truck accidents. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck Crash Overview report released in 2011, passenger vehicles caused the majority of the crashes: 89% for head-on impact and 74% for rear-end impact.
A History of Passenger Car Caused Collisions
Before a federal government agency began issuing an annual report, a major study was done by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in 1998. This study also revealed that drivers caused most crashes and in most cases passenger vehicles were to blame. This factor appears to remain consistent in truck-car collisions.
Some Driver-Related Common Causes for Truck Accidents
Not surprisingly, many of the causes of accidents with trucks are not the fault of truck drivers. Instead, they include passenger vehicle driver errors such as:
- Pulling in front of a truck without accelerating fast enough
- Moving along the right side of a turning truck
- Driving within areas of poor visibility for truckers
- Unsafe passing
- Not pulling fully onto the shoulder
Brake Failures
There are also myriad truck defect problems that cause accidents. According to the government report, almost 30 percent of crashes were caused by brake problems. Brake failures can be due to:
- Manufacturing defects
- Improper maintenance
- Overloading
- Operational errors
Tire Failures
Tire failures can also cause crashes. Maintenance errors causing tire blowouts may be due to:
- Tires do not meet the minimum DOT required tread depth
- Mismatched tires, such as the use of bias and radial tires on the same truck axle
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a truck accident, you may be able to get compensation. For help, contact a qualified truck accident lawyer at the Law Firm of W. Winston Briggs Law as soon as possible to find out your options for compensation after truck collision.