How to minimize risks of truck accidents

It’s commonly known that car accidents keep the leading position of cases among all kinds of transportation. Of course, in case of a plane crash there are normally many more people involved and injured, but it’s the only reason why we are so impressed with such news.

But not everybody knows that among all the car accidents on the road about 1 in 10 deaths occurs when a truck is involved.

High risk

There are a few main reasons why any trucks accident is so deadly dangerous:

• Trucks are heavy and massive, so even an experienced and skilled trucker will not be able to immediately stop his vehicle, especially on the highway. It causes a dramatic number of truck crushes when the original accident didn’t involve it;
• We all have seen trucks on the road in comparison with ordinary cars and can easily imagine the damage these huge wheels can cause to the people inside the car. That is why if there are trucks involved in accidents, most probably people in a smaller vehicle will be affected much more;
• Long-distance trips can make a trucker tired and less concentrated. That is why car drivers must always be extremely careful when having a truck in a reach zone.

Common roots of the problem

According to the recent statistics, truckers cause accidents only in a third of cases they are involved, meaning most commonly it’s a car driver's responsibility. Despite that, any trucking company needs to be sure to cut the risks by training and informing the employees how to avoid trucks accidents:

1)      Control of the working hours. Every carrier is interested in a quick and smooth delivery of cargo. But it doesn’t change the legal regulations in regards to the hours of the resting (both for the driver and for the vehicle). Thus, every trucker is allowed to drive only 11 hours in a 14-hour period with a 10-hour rest afterwards. Additionally, it’s prohibited for companies to schedule more than 60-hour per week for a driver.
Of course, some people are more enduring than others, but this regulation helps to save lives;

2)      Limitation of cell phone usage. Phone calls and messages are definitely the most common reasons of driver’s distraction which can cause trucker crashes. Sometimes just a few seconds can be crucial to avoid the accident of a truck, but if a driver spends these seconds typing a word, the chance can be lost irrevocably. Driving company can implement some restrictions, blocking access to the driver’s phone on the route except the truck stops, for example;

3)      Access to the dangerous zone. Sending a driver to a new district or by a new route and knowing about existing work zones on the way obliges a company to inform about it in advance. These zones can include construction works, high traffic cause of closed lines etc. Sometimes just a couple of mph can be enough to get under a risk;

4)      Strict policy in regards to the alcohol and drugs as well as control of the medicine the drivers use. Everybody knows these rules but surprisingly there are still a great number of positive tests on the daily basis.

Of course, nobody can predict what can happen on the road. A deer, jumping out of nowhere, a sparkle of the glass or metal surface or even a new billboard appeared on the familiar route – all of this can cause a truckers accident. We also should not forget that any crash can be caused by any side, so any driver needs to be careful not only what he is doing, but also what the other drivers are.

In some cases, trucks wrecks can also be absolutely unavoidable if we are speaking about brakes and other vehicle-related issues as well as unexpected health problems. The main task of any driver on the road is to minimize the damage for him and for others participants of possible trucking crashes.

Accidents with trucks can’t be fully avoided but passing with care, politeness and patience, being visible and avoiding blind zones on the road will help everybody to enjoy a safe and comfortable atmosphere of the trip.