Drivers of tractor-trailers and other large commercial vehicles have a lot of responsibility. Because tractor-trailers are so large and travel at such high rates of speed, there is a high risk that you’ll be seriously injured if a tractor-trailer crashes into you.
To get the financial compensation you need, it is necessary to pinpoint why the crash happened. Following are the most frequent crash-causing mistakes that commercial drivers make:
Top 5 causes of truck accidents
Below are the top five causes according to a 2020 study of commercial vehicle crashes in one state. These are also leading causes of commercial vehicle accidents in New Mexico:
- Careless operation 35.7%
- Failure to yield 12.1%
- Following too closely 9.5%
- Cutting in, improper passing 4.4%
- Vehicle condition 3.4%
The findings are based on police citations for driver violations. The results do not tell the whole story, as 17.1% of citations were noted in the report as unknown or other. Clearly, it is not always easy for the police or anyone else to determine exactly what caused a truck accident. In many cases, a thorough accident reconstruction is necessary to determine how a crash happened.
It is also worth mentioning that speeding is a common factor in all types of motor vehicle accidents, including those involving large commercial vehicles.
Steps you can take after a crash
Getting legal help to determine who was at fault for the crash will be crucial to claiming the full amount of compensation you need. Typically, the insurance company for the truck driver or the trucking company will do everything possible to minimize or even deny compensation to the victims. Don’t let that happen to you. If you suffer injuries in a trucking accident, talk to a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after the crash.