Truck Accidents Caused By Fatigued Drivers
Truck accidents are very dangerous and often involve life-threatening injuries. These large semi-trucks weigh about 70,000 pounds while a passenger vehicle weighs about 4,000 pounds, so the consequences of an accident are often catastrophic. The Arizona Department of Transportation reported 37,823 injuries due to car accidents throughout the state of Arizona in 2017. Furthermore, in the same year, there were a total of 795 fatal accidents involving a fatigued driver. Driving when you are tired is incredibly dangerous. There are many different reasons why truck drivers often drive while sleep deprived. It is important to be aware of these factors and how they can cause accidents. Always be alert and extra cautious when passing trucks on the highway. Listed below are multiple factors contributing to truck drivers skipping sleep to drive.
Why Are Drivers Tired?
Truck drivers are constantly pressured every single day to reach tight deadlines. Often these deadlines set are unrealistic so drivers will compromise their sleep schedule to meet deadlines and deliver products on time. These drivers will also skip out on driving breaks so they can complete their trips faster. This puts them and other drivers at risk because driving when you are tired is incredibly dangerous. Skipping sleep can cause aggressive behaviors, slow down your reaction times, decrease driving performance, and slow down motor skills. All of these factors can contribute to a horrific truck accident. You must be always alert while driving, especially if you’re driving a large semi-truck. Unfortunately, these tight deadlines force truck drivers to lose sleep to deliver products on time.
The federal legislation is now changing its laws on how long truck drivers are allowed to drive without brakes. These drivers are not legally allowed to drive more than 11 hours a day and they can’t work over 14 hours in 24 hours. These laws are created to keep everyone safe while driving on the roadways. Nowadays logging devices are required to be installed in commercial trucks. These devices will keep track of different data points such as how many hours a driver has logged in a route or within a day and the speed they are driving throughout the route. These devices will keep a record of the total hours driven without breaks to make sure they aren’t overworked or overscheduled. These devices will track hours themselves so there is no way drivers can drive more than the legal maximum amount. If they go over their hours, the system will recognize it as a violation and special personnel will be notified.
Contact An Arizona Truck Accident Attorney
If you have sustained injuries in a truck accident, contact a truck accident attorney today. You don’t have to understand all of the laws and regulations regarding fatigued driving. The Arizona truck accident attorneys at ELG can help you navigate the legal requirements of truck driving standards. Our team of truck accident attorneys will investigate the details of your accident so you can receive the compensation you deserve. Contact us today at Phoenix or Mesa Arizona law offices at (623) 877-3600 to set up a consultation and determine how our attorneys can assist you.
