If you had to guess, would you say that a truck accident is more likely to happen at night or during the day? When surveyed, most people assume that these accidents happen at night but in fact more truck accidents occur during the day. Read on to learn when truck accidents are most common and do not hesitate to contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 if you have been involved in a truck accident and require legal assistance.
The Truth About When Truck Accidents Are Most Common
It is true that truck drivers are more likely to be tired at night, and that their vision is inferior at night than during the day, but this does not lead to more truck accidents at night. In fact, half of the fatal truck accidents that occurred in 2018 happened before 6 am and 3 pm. On the other hand, fatal accidents that did not involve large trucks only saw 30% of their numbers in the same hours.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has gone even further to find that the most common time for a truck accident is between noon and 3 pm on a weekday. Once again, this is very different from the most common times for car accidents, which are most common on Friday and Saturday nights, due to the increase in drunk driving during those hours.
How to Avoid Being Involved in a Truck Accident
The best thing you can do to avoid becoming the victim of a truck accident is to make sure that you are giving the truck plenty of distance. If you are too close to them, slow down so that there is plenty of time to stop if they make a sudden stop. If they are too close to you, speed up or slow down, or get into another lane. Do whatever has to be done so that the truck is not so close that they could stop if an accident occurred.
Likewise, make sure that you are not in a truck’s blind spot longer than necessary. If you are going up a hill and the truck is going 10 miles under the speed limit, it is understandable that you want to pass them, even though this requires getting into their blind spot. You can do so, just make sure that you pass as quickly as possible so that the amount of time you are in that blind spot is as low as possible.
If you have been involved in a truck accident, contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 to request a free legal consultation. We are standing by to help you find the right way forward.
