Truck Accident | Phoenix Personal Injury Law Blog
When Trucks Should Use Runaway Truck Ramps
Like most people, you’ve probably noticed the yellow signs along hilly mountain roads that say, “Runaway Truck Ramp.” You may have also seen the ramps that veer upward along the side of a downhill-sloping road.
When a truck’s brakes fail as it’s traveling downhill, a devastating collision may occur.
Runaway truck ramps are designed to stop a truck and prevent these accidents.
AZ Personal Injury Lawsuits Against Big Trucking Companies
According to the American Trucking Association, the commercial freight industry is booming, generating major profits for trucking companies as well as their vendors. More than 72% of freight in the country is transported by commercial trucks and nearly 40 million trucks were registered for commercial use in 2020. While it is clear they are vital to our economy, these commercial vehicles can also pose a major threat to other drivers on the road, particularly when rules and regulations are violated.
Why Trucking Companies Must Hire Safe Drivers
There’s a lot of turnover in the trucking industry. Drivers are constantly leaving the profession because they get fed up with low pay and long hours. That’s why there’s considerable demand for new drivers. This is unfortunate because experienced drivers are less likely to make dangerous mistakes.
Trucking companies will try to save money by hiring inexperienced or poorly trained drivers. They may even hire drivers with bad driving records. This leads to serious accidents that harm thousands of unsuspecting drivers and their passengers every year.
Do Big Trucks Really Have “Black Boxes”?
A black box is a device in a vehicle that records information, which can be used to monitor vehicle performance or determine the cause of an accident. Large commercial trucks have data recorders that check for information about the vehicle. The most common type is an electronic control module (ECM). Some large trucks have event data recorders more like a black box in an airplane. Both types of systems are often referred to as black boxes.
How Truckers Should Brake Properly
A big rig truck weighs up to 80,000. Trucks need to have fully operational brakes and a driver that knows how to use them to protect other motorists from collisions.
When trucking companies try to save money by skimping on regular militance or hiring inexperienced drivers who haven’t been trained in the proper breaking techniques, it can cause catastrophic accidents.
Who Is Driving the New Generation of Semi-Trucks?
Self-driving vehicles may sound like an idea for the distant future, but that science fiction has already started to become a reality. Just as there has been a push to get self-driving cars road-ready, there has also been a push to get self-driving commercial trucks on the roadways as well.
Considering how much more dangerous big rigs are than sedans, you may expect that it would be several more years before self-driving trucks really hit the market, but what you may not realize is that these driverless trucks are already in use.
The Dangers of an Unladen Truck
We have all seen a fully loaded semi-truck on the I-10 and clenched up every time we had to pass one. These vehicles are extremely powerful, heavy, and often carry dangerous materials, which is why trucking accidents are so devastating. However, it may surprise you to know that empty trucks are often just as dangerous as ones that are overloaded.
Amazon’s Two-Day Delivery May Not be Worth the Price
There was once a time where the average delivery took a week or more unless you were willing to pay an arm or a leg for overnight shipping. Now though, two-day delivery seems to rule our world. You can order a dress on Thursday and wear it out with your friends on Saturday. That level of convenience has made many of our lives a lot easier, but it has also made our roads much more dangerous.
Will the Truck Driver Shortage Make Roads More Dangerous?
The trucker shortage, which has been increasing over the past several years, has begun to reach critical numbers. The American Trucking Association (ATA) recently announced that there would be a shortage of an estimated 175,000 truck drivers by the year 2026. Truck transportation is the backbone of our country’s economy, and a shortage of willing drivers could impact the prices of goods, as well as the cost of shipping packages. Even scarier, however, is that fewer truckers mean that the ones trucking companies do manage to employ may become a danger to everyone on roadways.
Trucking Fatalities Continue to Rise Despite Decreases in Overall Automobile-Related Fatalities
We all hear about fatal auto accidents on the news, and it often makes us wonder – is the number of accidents getting better or worse? Are all the laws on texting and driving, additional enforcement of drinking and driving, and other safety measures making a difference? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the answer is a complicated yes – fatalities from automobile accidents are decreasing with a 2.4% reduction in 2018.
Get Help Now
During a free consultation, we will look at the important aspects of your case, answer your questions, and explain your legal rights and options clearly. All submissions are confidentially reviewed by Mark Breyer.
Confidentially reviewed by Attorney Mark Breyer