As you make your way around the state of Illinois, you will frequently be in close contact with commercial trucks. This holds true on highways, as well as roads in big cities.
Even if you take extreme caution, driving carefully and sharing the road with truckers, you can’t always expect other drivers to do the same. Many commercial truck accidents occur because someone isn’t paying attention. When you become familiar with the most common causes of commercial truck accidents, you can take certain steps to improve your safety.
Keeping an eye out
In addition to the things you do in your own vehicle, such as paying attention to the road at all times, you should be watching others. Here are some of the most common causes of a commercial truck accident:
- Reckless driving: Many truckers are in a hurry, especially when they are running behind. This often leads to speeding, changing lanes without signaling, and failing to take other drivers into consideration.
- Distracted driving: Despite the fact that there are laws to prevent texting behind the wheel and other forms of distracted driving, some truckers continue to take part in this dangerous behavior.
- A system of compensation that encourages speeding: When a trucking company implements tight deadlines and compensation associated with meeting these deadlines, the end result can be a trucker who is not obeying the rules of the road.
- Drowsy driving: Commercial truck drivers are only permitted to be on the road for a certain number of consecutive hours per day. Even with these laws in place, some drivers don’t take the necessary breaks.
These are a few of the most common causes of serious truck accidents, but there are many others that could lead to catastrophe on the road.
First things first
If you or a loved one is injured in a truck accident in the future, focus your immediate attention on your health and well being. Once you are on the road to recovery, you can focus on protecting your legal rights.
You may need to consult with an attorney to learn more about how you might be able to receive compensation. If you have any reason to believe that somebody else was responsible for the accident, it’s a must that you take action.