Common causes of truck accidents on NC highways include:
- Distracted Driving
- Driver Error
- Driver Fatigue
- Equipment Malfunction
- Highway Rules and Regulations Violations
Truck accidents are the most horrific vehicle mishaps that happen on North Carolina highways. They often include multiple vehicles and can cause serious additional consequences beyond damage and injuries to other motorists. Pile-ups are not unusual when truck accidents occur, and unraveling what happened and who is liable to who is complicated. And every involved party will have legal counsel attempting to recover as much compensation as possible while attorney teams from the trucking company and driver will be attempting to mitigate total financial damage. And all parties are discussing driver fault. Truck accidents do not always happen due to the error of the truck driver. Other drivers in a multiple vehicle incident can share in the fault, and it can assuredly impact any claim.
Truck Accident Statistics
2021 Data from ncvisionzero.org – Accidents involving CMV (Commercial Motor Vehicles)
- CMV Involved Crashes – 12,884
- CMV Involved Injuries – 2,958
- CMV Involved Fatalities – 133
Here are the Top 5 reasons for truck accidents explained.
1. Distracted Driving
Accidents happen when drivers are distracted. The nature of the distraction can range widely, but they all come down to distraction when the driver takes their eye off of the road or a hand off of the steering wheel. Distracted driving evidence can include anything that indicates a driver was drinking a beverage or eating, and especially evidence of cell phone usage at the time of an accident. And this is evaluated for every involved driver.
2. Driver Error
Many drivers lack training when it comes to driving in congested traffic. The safety measures taken by the state generally allow all drivers over a certain age who can demonstrate basic driving skills to have a license until they generate demerit points that will result in a suspension. Even failure to use a signal indicator can easily result in an accident in certain situations. This can be any driver on the road in proximity of a tractor-trailer rig at the time of the accident.
3. Driver Fatigue
Another issue with truck drivers is fatigue after driving long shifts and many hours in a particular month. There are limitations on both daily and monthly driving hours. Luckily with the new electronic on-board reporting requirements, this can be less of a problem. But, even driving the limit of 11 hours per day can result in driver fatigue. The standard is effectively too high for optimum safety. This is case evidence that all truck accident claims lawyers investigate when handling cases.
4. Equipment Malfunction
Equipment malfunction is a common cause of many truck accidents, including shifted loads and lost cargo in some cases. Lost tire tread can cause serious damage to trailing vehicles, and braking drive chains while in transit can lead to a collision with an approaching vehicle. Steering wheel malfunction is also another concern in this category of accident causes.
5. Highway Rules and Regulations Violations
The number of truck accidents that involve drivers who are exceeding the speed limit is significant. This is sometimes driver error and negligent disregard for others on the road, and sometimes truck accidents occur when all involved drivers were exceeding the speed limit in tight quarters and short stopping distances. Truckers who are speeding present a very serious problem because of the required stopping distance regardless of whether they are loaded or unloaded.
Contact Our North Carolina Truck Accident Claims Lawyers
In addition to these five basic reasons that truck accidents happen, many accidents also happen due to shifted internal loads and cargoes that are not properly loaded or balanced in a container. Overweight trucks are also a serious concern because they can impact the ability to handle the truck in general. The real truth about truck accidents is that each incident is unique in some aspect, and there are also vicarious third parties who can be liable as well when the fault is being determined. Anyone who has been involved in a truck accident needs legal counsel. Those in North Carolina who have been involved in a truck accident should call the truck accident claims lawyers at our firm and let us conduct a full investigation into your claim potential. A ‘truck’ in this case may be a conventional pickup truck or a larger 18-wheeler / Semi. Talk with a truck crash attorney today.
