Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Clearwater

There are many different reasons that truck accidents may occur in Florida including truck drivers logging too many consecutive hours, not taking proper breaks to rest, or not stopping at weigh-in stations. With this said, accidents can occur for many other reasons as well, all of which may impact liability should the injured party need to file an injury claim. For this reason, it is important to be aware of all the various factors that may have led to a trucking accident, and consult with a Clearwater truck accident attorney if you or a family member are injured. To learn more or discuss the specific cause of your accident, call and schedule a consultation today.

Not Obeying Traffic Laws

Speeding, running red lights, and not obeying various traffic signals poses a problem in many trucking accidents because the drivers lose patience when trying to make it to their next stop, or trying to increase their pay based on a number of deliveries. This leads to speeding to get to their next destination which can cause a truck accident.

Texting While Driving

Because truck drivers log long hours and are away from their families for long periods of time, they will often turn to texting to maintain constant contact with family and friends. Additionally, they may be texting their bosses to see where their next destination is or to confirm a pick-up or drop-off, which becomes an obvious distraction while operating any vehicle.

Drunk Driving

Truck drivers may make the same mistake that many others do, and drink while or before they drive. Bars are easy places to pull over for a rest, and unfortunately, this can lead to drunk driving as a common cause of truck accidents. Sometimes, this can lead to the driver falling asleep at the wheel or driving in the wrong direction on the road.

Bad Weather

In Florida, torrential rain, hurricanes, and other unexpected weather changes make it difficult for anyone to drive, especially while operating a truck. The sheer size of commercial vehicles can create problems for their drivers and can result in accidents that cause injuries to those involved.

Driving at Night

Truck drivers will often drive through the night because there is less traffic, but after shifts that are already too long, they are simply too tired to be driving safely. In the dark, the lack of visibility for a tired driver can create a situation where truck accidents can easily happen.

Unsafe Lane Changes

Truck drivers are supposed to have special training to operate vehicles of that size, but that does not make them immune to the difficulty of seeing traffic and everything going on in the lanes next to them. One of the common causes of truck accidents is when a truck driver switches lanes because they cannot see the car next to them.

Improper Turns

The size and weight of a truck makes it difficult for drivers to estimate how long it will take them to make a left turn or a U-turn, or to complete seemingly regular tasks in traffic that are much easier for normal-sized cars to do. When the driver does not correctly estimate the time that it will take for them to properly finish a turn, the truck can create an accident. When a car that is driving safely and abiding by the speed limit also does not estimate how long the truck is going to take, they can become involved in the collision.

Tailgating

Tailgating is when either a truck or a car follows too closely to the vehicle in front of it. If a car tailgates a truck, the truck might have to stop more abruptly than other cars to give themselves time to stop before getting too close to the car in front of them because of the weight of the truck. If a car is tailgating, it may not have enough time to notice that the truck is going to stop because they cannot see what is going on in front of the truck because of its size.

If the truck is tailgating a car in front of it, that creates an issue because the car is able to stop much more quickly than a truck. So, if a car stops quickly and the truck driver does not leave enough space between itself and the car in front of it, it will often not have enough time to stop before rear-ending the vehicle that has stopped abruptly.