Truck Driver Fatigue
Did you know that truck drivers often spend very long hours on the road and trucking lobbyists are fighting to allow them to spend even longer hours driving?
Driver fatigue is a serious cause of tractor trailer accidents in the United States. Tight schedules and high profits are in the eyes of many truck drivers/carriers who try many tricks to stay awake driving on the road. Truck drivers often try a variety of techniques to stay awake and drive longer including drug and alcohol abuse. Many drivers sometimes stay up all night with minimal amounts of sleep. Often, drivers doze-off at the wheel causing catastrophic accidents. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association has discovered that 20,000 are injured due to trucker fatigue in commercial truck accidents.
Truck drivers that fail to have a proper amount of sleep will commonly stay awake longer than the typical sixteen to seventeen hours a day and suffer sleep deprivation symptoms. These symptoms include the following:
Blurred vision
Difficulty concentrating
Restless fatigue
Delayed reaction time
Ignorance of road signs and traffic lights
Difficulty staying within traffic lines
Weak & sore eyes
Have you or someone you know been involved in a trucking related accident due to truck driver fatigue? Contact the law offices of Mcewen Law Firm today for a free, no obligation consultation from one of our experienced truck accident lawyers. Call toll free at (800) 732-3070.
Truck driver fatigue has been linked to reduced performance while driving. According to a recent study, within a twenty four hour period a truck driver should take at least seven to eight hours of sleep.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) nearly 8% of all trucking related crashes were due to driver fatigue. The study revealed that 96% of all drivers in fatigue related accidents were male.
Truck Driver Accident Errors
It should be noted that fatigue, although the most common cause of truck accident injury and deaths, is not the only error that truck drivers make.
Every year almost 6,000 people die as a result of truck accidents and crashes every year in the United States. Over 140,000 truck accidents occurred in the United States in 2006 and an investigation revealed that over half of those accidents were due to truck driver errors and fatigue.
Our lawyers and attorneys have the experience and dedication from start to finish if you or someone you love has been a victim of a truck accident injury or death.
Some common types of truck accident errors of the driver include:
Drug abuse
DWI / DUI
Sleep deprivation
Jackknifing
Aggressive driving
Vehicle collisions
Overloaded trucks or tractor trailers
Shifting trailer weight
Overturned trucks
Accidents involving pedestrians
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Free, No Obligation Consultation The lawyers at the McEwen Law Firm provide expert consultation, legal advice, and representation for persons injured in semi truck accidents. We’ve successfully accepted and resolved trucking injury cases nationwide. Our truck accident lawyers, paralegals, and legal professionals are trained to investigate, carefully handle, negotiate, prepare, and develop truck accident cases from start to finish. One of our truck accident attorneys, Peter Kestner has extensive experience with truck accident cases, both as a private attorney and representative for trucking companies. His intimate knowledge of the truck industry, and the Federal regulations that govern it, give his current practice a unique edge—and his clients a distinct advantage. If you or someone you love has been in a truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation to cover medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost wages, pain and suffering. Our law firm will help you navigate the legal process, from start to finish, from building a strong case to recovering the money you and your family deserve. To contact the McEwen Law Firm for a free consultation you can call us toll free at (800)732-3070 or contact a lawyer to get started with your truck accident lawsuit online. Our consultations are confidential and there is no obligation. The best part is – you won’t pay any fees unless we win your case. (800) 732-3070 |
