Automotive

What is the Major Cause of Heavy Vehicle Accidents?

Heavy Vehicle Accidents

Don’t you get tired and exhausted after a long session of continuous brainstorming along with physical activities?

Though mental and physical fatigues are different, they often come together as long-term physical enfeeblement triggers psychological tiredness.

In fact, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention researched that one out of three Americans does not sleep enough. As per National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, seven to eight hours of sleep is required for an average adult.

What will happen when a truck driver drives the vehicle for long hours at a stretch?

One word: – “Accident”

It has been surveyed that fatigue caused because of lack of rest and unbroken driving are among the major causes of fatal accidents. Roads and Transport Authority admitted the fact that fatigue is the prime contributor of the crash.

When interviewing a truck driver, he revealed that he has no idea about the maximum limit of working hours. He also claimed that heavy vehicle drivers work for fifteen to sixteen hours each day. We came to know that they take short breaks in between, but there is no weekly off for them. They are bound to work under tight schedules due to the goods delivery deadline. They have no other option.

Another scary fact came to the forefront that using a mobile phone, sedative medicines, being over emotional with impatience, anger or show-offs while driving heavy automobiles lead to massive collisions.

Fatigue becomes a public health concern when it affects safety.

The RTA has set some guidelines for the drivers of heavy vehicles in which, it is mentioned that a driver must not drive more than ten hours in twenty-four hours. The drivers are allowed to take regular breaks after every three to four hours. Unfortunately, there is no specific law for regulating the driving hours of heavy wheels apart from the stipulation of the labor law. No apparent authority has taken the pain of monitoring the working hours of the drivers.

Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Bin Darwish who is the head of Sharjah Police’s Patrol Department opined that the truck companies must provide comfortable environments to their drivers for safety purposes of other road users and them.

Financial and psychological pressures are considered as culprits involved in significant truck accidents. The mentioned factors are the reason behind the drivers’ aggressive attitudes. We should remember that dealing with heavy materials and vehicles is not an easy task. The drivers’ hostile behavior reflects the strains they suffer.

Moreover, another driver delinquency can be awarded to the forgetfulness of the simple safety measures like not giving a signal before the turns. We have studied that in around nine percent accidental cases, the drivers engage in unethical operations like not using the turn signals.

What do you think about the distracted driving? Have you encountered any such incident?

Whatever, your answer may be, a study was done on the truck and heavy vehicle accidents showed that approximately 8% of the crashes happen due to inattentive drivers. The drivers try to evade the hits, but if something goes out of control, the big rigs become the matter of concern to maneuver. The drivers are underestimating the evasive actions’ impact cover around 7% of the unfortunate accidents.

Do you buy over- the- counter drugs for fever or a cough or stomach ache?

We avoid visiting the doctor for minor health ailments thinking that our hard earned money will unnecessarily get wasted as visiting fees. We also take minor headaches or cold and coughs and other issues lightly and buy medicines straight from the medical stores without valid doctors’ prescriptions.

Drivers are no exception. Sometimes, some medicines contain sedative molecules that may make a driver sleep while driving. The drivers can have an adverse effect like vomiting, severe allergies, stomach pain, skin irritations, etc. due to wrong medicine consumption. If the drivers are on the go at that time, it can undoubtedly lead to mega accidents.

We have found out that the poor drivers are under immense pressure to supply the goods on time. Simultaneously, they have to drive more than around 200 kilometers which urge them to exceed the speed beyond the standard limit without taking any stop in between. The heavy vehicles are meant to be driven at the speed limit of 80 K/H. The drivers often consume energy providing medicines for finishing the tasks.

If these things continue, what will stop the sure- shot accident?

Many times, a heavy vehicle driver needs to slow down due to the inconvenient weather. So, when the climate clears up, the drivers tend to access the road at a more significant speed and zero breaks.

The final result= Deadly Accidents

Deadly Accidents

Sometimes, the commercial vehicle drivers want to earn more. Many of them get wages based on each trip. Therefore, they try to reach the destinations earlier so that they can bag another tour and get more currencies. Thus, they get super tired due to non- stop working and meet catastrophes.

The transport department of every country must come forward and monitor the safety issues of the large vehicle drivers that not only harm them but profoundly strikes the common public too.

Contributed By:https://www.texas-truckaccidentlawyer.com/

If you have any questions, please ask below!