California and U.S. Truck accident statistics of truck accidents can help us see why accidents with trucks happen. A 2008 NTSB, (National Transportation and Safety Board), the study recorded the number of California and National truck and bus accidents producing death or injury. In California, 8,700 truck and bus accidents occurred and nationally the number of accidents was 148,500.
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| California recorded over 300 deaths, while nationally the death toll was 4,600 |
California recorded over 300 deaths, while nationally the death toll was 4,600. Of the 148,500 truck and bus crash in the U.S. 88,500 sustained injuries from 60,000 accidents. The injury statistics may not be complete as it only records injury reported at the scene. Any Truck accident lawyer knows that it can take days for symptoms to onset.
More than half of the truck accidents were related to truck driver error, as divided into four categories; recognizing that a danger is approaching, accounting for one-third of accidents, unavoidable seizures or heart attacks which cause about 8,000 accidents a year, poor reaction by the truck driver, which is the most of any category exceeding 50% and finally panicking or overreacting to an event, thereby causing an accident.
To avoid being involved in a truck accident, here are a couple of easy steps you can take to stay out of the way of trucks.
Inattention, distraction or failing to perceive danger: If a driver is having a heart attack, a seizure, or falls asleep, or does not perceive the danger before it is too late, there is little you can do once the truck is bearing down on you. These two categories represent more than one-half of all truck driver-related accidents. Obviously, as a safety precaution, try never to put your vehicle in this position. To do that here are some simple rules:
* Never allow a truck to travel close behind you in your lane. Switch lanes, or speed up and leave it behind. In close traffic, it is better to remain behind the truck than in front of it.
* Before passing or overtaking a truck, make sure that you have enough room to complete the maneuver without pulling in front of the truck too soon.
* Even if there are multiple lanes, pass the truck, do not operate next to it for any length of time.
These two steps help you avoid the inadvertent swerve as the driver falls asleep, or the failure to recognize a danger when they cannot see you or do not slow fast enough. Imagine if most vehicle drivers observed these simple rules, more than one-half of all truck accident injuries would almost be nonexistent.
Poor driver reaction to danger or overreaction: The second category of causes of accidents is a little more involved. They require you to assess whether the driver is competent. When a truck driver is making a poor decision, overreacting or recognizing a danger but traveling too close, there will be tell signs you can observe before passing or traveling alongside a truck. As an example, if you see a truck speeding well in excess of the speed limit, do not consider this driver to be competent.
In fact drivers know that excessive speed is very much a cause of many accidents. They are speeding because they have made a conscious choice to risk some danger for their personal need to arrive at their destination faster. While the typical driver of an auto does the same thing, the consequences of injury are much more likely to occur when a truck is involved in a collision.
* Therefore observing the driver behavior before passing or traveling in front of a truck is paramount. Is the driver swerving, traveling too fast for the conditions, running up the back of another truck or car too often, braking hard then accelerating too fast. If they are, rest assured that if they are faced with a dangerous condition ahead of them, they may not act appropriately, and in fact may cause an accident with your car. If you observe this behavior, either travel well back of the truck, or pass and advance well ahead of the truck by a few miles, and do not allow the truck to catch up to you. If the driver causes an accident, at least you will be far from the collision.
As a California truck accident lawyer, many clients come to us with injuries from an accident. While the accident is not their fault, all would say they would rather have avoided the accident altogether. These suggestions have been observed as applicable in most truck accidents. Follow them and protect yourself and your family.
As a California truck accident attorney, James Ballidis has helped truck accident victims plead and prove their claims for over 25 years. You can obtain more statistics by referring to a more detailed study of Truck Accidents in California and the Nation. Please feel free to also take advantage of our free books on such subjects as how to find an attorney, how to process your own claim and additional information about truck accidents and your rights by visiting the California truck accident lawyer site or the firm California personal injury and claims processing web pages. Please call with any questions at 1 866 981-5596.
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