Accidents happen. Car and truck accidents can occur anywhere on a busy highway or a local street. Understanding why accidents happen is an essential part of preventing collisions.
When semis and other large vehicles crash, it can cause devastating injuries and property damage. In many cases, regulations have helped truck drivers safely get from here to there. However, there are still a significant amount of crashes every year.
Here’s what you should know about the top causes of truck accidents.
Driver error is significant
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) looked at the causes of truck accidents and discovered that in 87 percent of the accidents, the driver was the critical reason for the crash. Researchers were able to break down the errors into the following four categories:
- Non-performance. The driver’s inability to act for reasons such as a medical condition, drowsiness or another condition.
- Recognition. The driver did not recognize a hazard or did not realize there was a hazard with enough time to respond.
- Decision. The driver chose to take a risky action, like speeding or going too fast for the road conditions.
- Performance. The driver took a specific erroneous action, such as overcompensating.
Of the four types of driver errors, driver decisions accounted for 38 percent of the critical reasons for truck accidents.
How to move forward
The nation depends on semis to get products from one side of the country to the other. Since the trucking industry is vital, it is essential to use the information about truck accidents to make efforts to prevent them.
Ideally, truck drivers may need more training to add to their experience and ability to react and respond safely to what is happening on the road.
When driving near a semi, you should allow plenty of room so the driver can see you. You should also use your turn signals to give ample notification when you need to change lanes or make a turn.