What Are The Leading Causes Of Delivery Truck Accidents In Huntsville, TX?
Delivery trucks are massive and come with lots of blind spots. Accidents involving these commercial vehicles are quite common in Texas. They sometimes involve smaller vehicles that have trouble getting out of the way of the bigger trucks. Other times, they are single-vehicle accidents caused by the delivery truck driver losing control. No matter how many vehicles are involved or why the accidents occur, collisions involving delivery trucks can be catastrophic. Understanding their most common causes is key to avoiding them.
Driver Error
The majority of delivery truck accidents stem from driver error, which can include anything from driver fatigue to aggressive driving. Knowing how to avoid these errors is crucial to staying safe on the road and avoiding accidents. If you’ve been involved in a commercial truck accident, it’s best to contact a delivery truck accident lawyer right away to get the compensation you deserve.
Negligence and Distraction
Negligent and distracted driving are additional driver errors that greatly contribute to delivery truck accidents in Texas. Most negligent and distracted driving comes from being on the phone while driving and failing to abide by roadway signs and speed limits. For example, when a delivery truck driver fails to yield at a yield sign, the risk of an accident greatly increases.
Distracted driving can also occur as a result of trying to use onboard technology. When drivers focus more of their attention on configuring or reading GPS devices, it takes away from their ability to safely monitor the road. Other common distractions include eating and drinking while driving or attempting to interact with passengers.
Improper Training and Maintenance
Drivers must have the correct skills to drive a delivery truck safely, which is why they must go through training before they can take their trucks on the road. Unfortunately, some of them fail to complete their training yet still drive their trucks. When they do this, they put themselves and everyone else on the road in danger.
Truck owners must also inspect their vehicles before allowing them on the road. However, the time and cost of inspecting and maintaining trucks can become burdensome for some, causing them to forgo inspections and maintenance. As a result, they allow unsafe trucks on the road, which increases the risk of accidents.
Mechanical Issues
Even with proper inspections and maintenance, the mechanics of delivery trucks can still play a role in accidents. For example, if the brakes are faulty, there’s a much higher risk of a collision. Tire problems, cargo space that isn’t secure and antiquated safety equipment are additional mechanic issues that commonly cause truck accidents. Any time the mechanics of your truck cause an accident, it’s best to contact a delivery truck accident attorney as soon as possible.
Driver Fatigue
Driver fatigue is one of the most common reasons that people hire a delivery van accident lawyer. The prolonged working and driving hours that truck drivers face lead to extended periods of time without adequate rest. As a result, truck drivers are extremely tired on the road. This not only impairs their judgment, but also their alertness and response time. And since they usually work on tight schedules, many drivers push themselves to meet their deadlines to ensure they don’t face financial penalties for their deliveries. This further increases their fatigue, thus heightening the risk of accidents.
The monotonous nature of long-haul driving can make driver fatigue even worse. As drivers spend hours behind the wheel with little to no variation in their scenery or activity, this can lead to drowsiness, which reduces their level of concentration and increases the risk of accidents. The fatigue becomes all the worse when drivers don’t follow regular sleeping patterns; this is particularly common among drivers who make overnight or early morning deliveries.
Drivers who have to load and unload their trucks face additional fatigue issues. The strain on the body from manual labor can exhaust drivers and reduce their cognitive function. This is why it’s so important for all drivers to make sure they are getting enough rest in between their work shifts.
Speeding and Overtaking
Speeding as a result of trying to meet strict delivery deadlines is another common cause of delivery truck accidents. Drivers will force themselves to drive faster than the speed limit to ensure they arrive at their destinations on time. This behavior not only increases the risk of losing control of the vehicle but also makes it difficult to navigate unfamiliar or congested roads.
Driving too fast is especially dangerous in delivery trucks because they are much larger than most other vehicles. It takes a lot more time for them to come to a complete stop, which can easily result in rear-end collisions or loss of control during braking maneuvers.
Trying to overtake lanes also poses several risks, especially when driving on narrow roads. When attempting to bypass slower moving vehicles, delivery truck drivers often experience blind spots that lead to accidents.
Major Highways and Intersections
A lot of delivery truck accidents occur on major highways and at intersections. The main reason behind these locations being top spots for accidents is that they tend to stay congested with a lot of heavy traffic. The more vehicles on the road, the higher the risk of an accident.
Major highways often have higher speed limits as well, which further increases the likelihood of an accident. The faster the delivery trucks are driving, the more time it takes to stop to avoid a collision. This is why it’s very important to always observe speed limit signs and to operate in congested areas with lower speeds.
Intersections are common locations for accidents, especially when they feature multiple lanes of traffic or odd traffic patterns. Knowing how to properly yield at intersections and how to correctly change lanes is vital to avoiding accidents. It’s also equally important to know how to safely navigate roadways and intersections that have a lot of pedestrians or cyclists.
Driving Under the Influence
Delivery truck drivers should never operate their trucks while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Not only is it illegal to operate while intoxicated but it is also extremely dangerous. Drugs and alcohol slow down a driver’s reaction time, making it harder to avoid collisions. If you were in an accident, regardless of whether you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time, it’s still important to hire a delivery van accident attorney to obtain the compensation you deserve.
Cargo Loading and Securement Issues
Cargo loading and unloading can contribute to delivery truck accidents in ways other than increasing driver fatigue. Proper loading is paramount to weight distribution across delivery truck vehicles. When the trucks aren’t loaded or unloaded properly, it can cause the vehicles to become unstable and more likely to tip over. The likelihood of an accident occurring increases significantly if the truck isn’t loaded properly and has to take a lot of sharp turns.
Poor loading or unloading can also cause the cargo to shift during transit, further affecting the truck’s handling. It can easily damage the cargo before it arrives at its destination, as well.
In some cases, improperly loaded cargo can even fall off the delivery truck, posing a great risk to pedestrians and other drivers. Flying debris can seriously injure people and cause major damage to other vehicles.
Poorly loaded or unloaded cargo also increases the risk of accidents by affecting the truck’s braking performance. When cargo isn’t loaded exactly as it should be, it can take the truck longer to stop, which makes rear-end collisions more likely.
Tailgating
Tailgating involves not putting enough space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. When delivery truck drivers tailgate, they boost the odds of getting into an accident. The reduced following distance makes it much harder to stop in time in the event one needs to stop quickly. It also limits the driver’s ability to have enough time to safely get in another lane to avoid an accident.
Tailgating not only reduces visibility for delivery truck drivers but also the visibility of the vehicles being followed. It makes it harder to see brake lights and potential hazards ahead on the road. It also creates a domino effect, where sudden braking can lead to chain-reaction collisions involving multiple vehicles, including the delivery truck.
Bad Weather Conditions
Adverse weather always makes vehicle accidents more likely. In Texas, bad weather usually comes in the form of heavy rain, strong winds and lighting. All of these weather hazards can reduce driving visibility while also creating slick road surfaces. Even light amounts of rain can cause hydroplaning.
Texas experiences quite a few tornadoes every year, which further increases the risk of delivery truck accidents. From torrential rain to high winds to flooding, it’s very important to stay off the road during tornadoes and other bad weather. If you’ve been involved in a delivery truck accident due to bad weather, make sure to hire a UPS truck accident attorney today.
Poor Roadways
Texas has a massive network of roadways that receive a lot of traffic. Because of the extreme wear and tear on these roads, it’s not unusual for drivers to encounter potholes, uneven pavement and crumbling shoulders. All of these factors heighten the risk of delivery truck accidents. Even small potholes can compromise the stability of a delivery truck, especially for larger ones carrying really heavy loads.
Delivery truck drivers in Texas frequently travel winding, narrow roads, which limits visibility. This issue poses additional challenges for drivers. Many of the rural roads don’t have proper signage, which can make it even more difficult to travel safely.
Texas’ large prevalence of construction zones further contributes to delivery truck accidents. Due to increased traffic density and less maneuverability, delivery truck drivers face temporary highway dangers, merging traffic, and congestion when they pass through construction zones.
Most Common Injuries
Injuries from delivery truck accidents vary greatly from one crash to the next. Head-on crashes and rollovers tend to have the most serious injuries.
Regardless of the injuries you’ve sustained, it’s very important to hire an UPS truck accident lawyer if you’ve been involved in an accident to ensure you receive compensation for any damages owed to you.
Lawyers can help you get compensation for a variety of injuries, including:
- Paralysis
- Whiplash
- Amputations
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Scarring and lacerations
- Traumatic brain damage
- Broken bones
Dealing With the Legal Landscape of Delivery Truck Accidents
It can be overwhelming trying to deal with insurance and liability challenges after an accident involving a delivery truck. Fortunately, you can hire a FedEx truck accident attorney to help you navigate the legal landscape. The lawyer can speak with the involved insurance companies on your behalf, which gives you time to focus on healing.
Lawyers specializing in delivery truck accidents understand the different tactics and approaches that insurance companies will take to limit their exposure. This means when you have FedEx truck accident lawyer on your side, you can rest easy knowing you will receive fair compensation for all of your injuries and losses.