There’s been a lot of information in the news recently about relatively new laws that govern truck drivers. These laws, passed at both the federal and state level, impact how many hours in a row a truck driver can drive, how often they must take breaks, and other issues that are deemed to be related to truck driving safely. But are the laws really necessary?
Read on to get the latest results of studies covering truck accidents and what is most likely to cause them. If you’ve suffered an injury in a truck accident, or a loved one has been killed in one or suffered a catastrophic injury, reach out to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 to learn what your options are.
Remember that not all truck drivers are long-haul drivers
One of the mistakes people often make when considering truck drivers is that they assume they’re long-haul drivers, meaning that they assume they’re handling long distance shipments. The reality is that many truck drivers are traveling within the state of California. Some of them have a route that lasts a single day and lets them sleep in their own beds each night.
This short-haul drivers can have even more incentive than others to break federal, state, and company-wide regulations that require them not to drive long distances without a break, or are set up to prevent them from working too many hours in a day. Likewise, sometimes their employers, the trucking companies themselves, can give their drivers incentives to travel longer or driver for long than they’re supposed to.
The seriousness of fatigued truck drivers
Does it really matter as much as regulators seem to think it does? Let’s take a look at a study that was completed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It looked at hours of service compared to truck accidents. The purpose was to see if a driver with a fuller schedule had a higher chance of crashing. The study looked at 99 drivers who traveled more than 700,000 miles. The study used video footage and data to get answers.
Once the data was collected and assessed, it was discovered that the number of hours a truck driver was on the road increased the chances of having a safety critical event. The study also determined that drivers later in their shift were more likely to get into an accident. Finally, it was also determined in this study that if a truck driver too ka break, their chances of getting into an accident were significantly lower for an hour after that break.
What to do if you’ve been involved in a truck accident
New laws have been passed to try and encourage truck drivers and their employers from pushing drivers past their safety thresholds. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, then you may have a personal injury case. Your next call should be to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.
