Causes of Phoenix Truck Accidents

By The Husband and Wife Law Team on September 22, 2016

When trucks crash with other vehicles on the road, it can have disastrous results. Trucks weigh approximately 10,000 pounds and because of the devastating effects they can have, truck drivers need to be even more aware and highly focused while on the road. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and in many cases, driver error is the cause of Arizona truck accidents. However, there can be other contributing factors that aren’t necessarily the fault of the driver.

Speeding. This is the main cause of truck accidents on the road. Trucks are massive vehicles and it takes them a long time to slow down and even longer to come to a complete stop. Because of this, when trucks are speeding, they may not be able to slow down in time to avoid a crash. Adding speed to the immense weight they’re carrying also causes a greater impact, making the crash that much worse than if another passenger vehicle was involved.

Fatigue. Sitting at number two on the list of causes of Arizona truck accidents is fatigue. Truck drivers put in very long days of driving, which on its own can be exhausting enough. But truck drivers are under tight deadlines to get their shipments to a certain place on time, and that can cause them to stay on the road longer than they should. There are laws in place to try and prevent fatigue-related accidents, such as that Arizona truck drivers can only drive for 14 hours in a 24-hour period, but drivers don’t always follow these rules and even when they do, sometimes fatigue still takes over.

Equipment failure. When equipment fails on a truck, many want to blame the trucking companies for not properly inspecting the brakes, tires, fuel line, chassis, lighting, engine, and hitch on their trucks. While these kinds of human errors are sometimes the cause of equipment failure, it can also be poor road conditions or poor road design that cause equipment on the truck to fail.

While these are the three main causes of Phoenix truck accidents, there are many others including driving under the influence, unsafe lane changes, and more. If you’ve been the victim of a truck accident, contact us at Breyer Law Offices, P.C. today. We’re experienced personal injury lawyers that know how to work with truck drivers, trucking companies, and the insurance companies so you don’t have to.