In a motor vehicle accident between a massive 18-wheeler and a passenger car, it’s a sure bet the occupants of the passenger vehicle will come out on the losing end. A 5,000 pound passenger vehicle is just no match for a 50,000 to 80,000 pound truck. There are around 400,000 big rig accidents each year in the United States, and of these, there are over four thousand fatalities and close to 100,000 serious injuries. While big rigs are a necessary component of our lives, as they transport goods from one location to another around the clock, there is a large problem with truck drivers who continue to drive when they are exhausted and sleep-deprived.
Fatigue as a Major Contributor to Accidents
Many organizations believe that fatigue among truck drivers is responsible for as many as forty percent of all fatal truck crashes. When a truck driver nods off, they often swerve into another lane or run off the road, swiping other smaller vehicles in the process. Exhausted drivers are also much more likely to make serious errors in judgment such as improper braking, misjudging critical distances, turning too sharply or driving beyond a safe speed limit. Driving on busy freeways requires constant attention and alertness, and tired truck drivers are simply not able to give the cars around them the attention they deserve.
Why Truckers Drive When Fatigued
The trucking business is set up in such a way that unless the driver is on the road, nobody—including the driver—is making any money. The more deliveries a truck driver makes, the higher profits the trucking company will realize. When the livelihood of the trucker and his family depend on driving “just a few more” miles, you are going to see many more tired truckers, thus many more accidents. Truckers are under a tremendous amount of pressure to make their deliveries on time, and because truckers are paid by the mile rather than by the hour, there is little incentive to pull off the road and get some rest. Even in the face of new federal regulations, truckers—with the full blessing of the company they drive for—often keep two sets of log books so they can get more hours of driving time in.
Federal Regulations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has made a concerted effort to prevent truck drivers from driving while fatigued by setting daily and weekly limits on the amount of time the trucker can be on the road. Currently truck drivers may not drive more than eleven hours in a row within a fourteen hour time period, which must then be followed by ten consecutive hours off duty.
Within any twenty-four hour period, a truck driver cannot drive more than fourteen hours, and within seven consecutive days, they are not allowed to spend more than sixty hours total driving and on-duty. Truckers must spend at least thirty four hours off-duty prior to beginning the next seven or eight day consecutive period of driving. Several groups have attempted to get the eleven hour rule changed on the grounds that they threaten the safety of the truck drivers and the drivers who share the road. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety believes that the risk of being involved in a crash doubles when the driver has been driving longer than eight to ten hours at a stretch.
When to Consult an Attorney
If you’ve been the victim of an accident caused by a tired truck driver, it’s imperative that you hire an experienced personal injury attorney immediately. It is very difficult to battle a huge trucking company whose only goal is to stop you from getting the compensation you need and deserve to cover your injuries and damages. An aggressive attorney who is familiar with the tactics used by the trucking companies and the insurance companies will be your very best advocate in a fair settlement.
Call and speak with an experienced Mississippi personal injury attorney from Barrett Law, PLLC. Be sure to visit our web blog for more helpful information about your case or call us for a free consultation to answer your important questions.
The attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC serve people throughout Mississippi including: North Mississippi, Jackson, Hattiesburg, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.