Big rig trucks are one of the leading causes of serious injuries and fatalities on America's highways. One factor contributing to these types of accidents is truck drivers driving while distracted, making them more likely to miss a break or an entrance ramp when making turns. Sometimes, truck drivers can have small mishaps which result in large crashes. One such example is when a truck driver runs over a curb instead of going around it and causes an accident with a car in front of them. This article discusses how accidents can be caused by big rig trucks.

1. Drivers not paying attention

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2020, truck drivers weren't paying attention to the road in over 60% of all truck accidents. This is huge and can be prevented with increased safety training for big rig drivers. When truck drivers are focused on their driving instead of something else, they will be more aware of their surroundings and less likely to have an accident.

2. Trucks not staying in the right lane

Truck drivers can sometimes drive down the center lane or another lane on the highway when they need to be in a different lane. They may be distracted because there is something in their way or carelessly drifting into another traffic lane. In these types of accidents, truck drivers can get run over by cars or other big rigs while trying to change lanes.

3. Truck drivers going too fast

Driving any vehicle at more than 110 mph is dangerous and should be avoided. It is especially important for big rigs where the amount of damage that can be caused increases drastically when the trucks go fast. When trucks are going faster, it forces cars to brake much harder to avoid being hit and causes them to swerve out of control which can cause another accident or cause them to crash with a curb or guardrail. Truck accident attorney Colorado in Denver probably recommends that every big rig driver be limited to driving no faster than 65 mph on the highway.

4. Truck drivers running red lights

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2017, big rig trucks were going through red lights at an average of 14 out of every 20. This number is even greater than a decade ago, which shows that truck drivers are getting worse at obeying traffic laws. Red-light running is dangerous and illegal and can lead to accidents with cars and other big rigs and cause accidents with pedestrians and bicyclists.

5. Truck drivers doing poorly in focus tests

In 2015, truck drivers only did 8 out of 15 tests on the RMV. This number is much lower and shows that truck drivers are not as safe behind the wheel as they should be. The American Trucking Association recommends that big rig drivers take an intensive training course before driving to ensure that they know all their traffic laws.

6. Brake light confusion

Big rig trucks do not have brake lights as cars do, which can lead to accidents with other vehicles because truck drivers do not always know when to stop moving. This can cause accidents with other cars and result in more serious ones when a car crashes into a big rig having trouble with its brakes.

Conclusion

Big rig trucks are a huge part of the United States economy and put in a lot of work to help Americans across the country. However, truck drivers have not learned all their traffic laws and are not always safe when on the road. This can cause serious accidents when truck drivers don't know how to handle their vehicles.

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