A substantial increase in the number of truck accidents has shaken the industry. The industry leaders are doing whatever they could only to lower this number; they are looking after the truck manufacturing industry, educating truck drivers, and installing new technologies.
Are they missing anything?
The truth is they are. They are looking at the whole thing from a superficial angle. Unless they delve deep down to the bottom, it's impossible for them to find a solution. By dispatching high-tech trucks, they can only solidify their ground for a legal battle in the wake of an accident.
But when it comes to accepting responsibility, most trucking companies turn their faces away. Their lawyers attempt to prove the victim's negligence is the cause behind the accident, and so the trucking company doesn't owe the victim any reimbursement.
What about insurance companies?
To the victim's dismay, the insurance companies are no saints either. They know if a victim wins a case against a trucking company and claims insurance, then the company will reimburse him from its accident coverage funds. The insurance services want to hold the money, having to let the money go spells a disaster for them.
As a result, the lawyers, commissioned by the insurance agencies work in tandem with their brethren, employed by the trucking companies. And as the old saying reminds us, one's enemy will never play fair with him, the naivety of an ordinary truck accident victim makes him completely naked among the wolves, who'd devour him in the court.
The victim's options
The victim has two options; the first is mugging up with legal resources so he could stand up for his own cause, and the second is hiring a competent lawyer, who'd represent him in the court.
Nevertheless, these two are not mutually exhaustive; a victim can enlighten himself about the legal guidelines binding truck accident related cases and still take the help of a truck accident lawyer.
If you are not a victim
You may not be a victim, but that doesn't mean you won't be one. You might drive with all the attention in the world, but a momentary negligence of someone else can send you to the hospital bed.
What should you do?
When driving on the highway, you need to be extra alert. Besides that, you need to keep yourself updated with the facts and figures pertaining to the highway truck accidents, so a pattern comes out. Observing the pattern, you can quickly draft a list of do's and don'ts to avoid collision with a truck on a highway.
Highway truck accident patterns
If the facts on highway truck accident are gathered, some observable patterns are found, which point at the factors that are present in the majority of highway truck accident cases:
- Looking away: The driver might look away from the direction the truck is heading to; he may text someone, talk to someone on the phone, spills food or drink inside the truck, check a location on the map, or get distracted in some other ways. The result could be an accident.
- Violating driving codes: Violation of driving codes is often the reason for an accident. One example of driving code violation is bumping into a vehicle, stopped at a traffic signal. Another example is colliding with a vehicle in its lane while changing a lane.
- Fatigue: Working for extra hours and the resulting fatigue are often the causes for truck accidents. Fatigue causes drivers to constantly yawn or rub his eyes, and worst, close their eyelids while their hands are at the steering wheel.
- Overload: Driving codes recommend a certain amount of load for a certain type of truck. Overloaded trucks violate such codes. Truck overload is one of the chief reasons for collision.
Why stay updated?
Gathering information and staying updated helps you avoid truck accidents on highways, and eases the interaction between you and your lawyer. It can help you promptly reply to questions, asked by your lawyer, and convey him everything related to the accident in a concise manner.
