Semi and Commercial truck accidents – such as those involving “big rigs” like 18 wheelers and tractor-trailers – are often devastating. Sadly, many of them are also entirely preventable.
Common Causes of Semi and Commercial Truck Accidents in Arizona
Some of the most common causes of both semi-truck and commercial truck accidents in Arizona include the following:
Improper Maintenance or Maintenance Failures
Federal trucking regulations require that drivers and companies perform comprehensive maintenance to ensure that vehicles are in safe condition. Unfortunately, in attempts to save time and money, critical maintenance is sometimes postponed. Lack of maintenance can result in highly dangerous vehicle conditions (such as a lack of properly functioning brakes).
Failure to Perform Inspections
Commercial interstate drivers subject to federal regulation are required to perform pre-trip inspections for truck and load safety, and also at specified intervals thereafter to ensure that loads are properly secured.
Driver Fatigue
Federal Hours of Service Regulations require mandated rest and breaks at certain points or times in the course of a trip. Nonetheless, drowsy driving due to driver fatigue is often a factor in many crashes.
Drunk Driving
Tragically, drivers sometimes drive while intoxicated and cause deadly drunk driving accidents. State regulations prohibit driving while intoxicated, and federal regulations governing trucking prohibit any consumption of alcohol within 4 hours prior to driving.
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
Not only may drivers not drive while under the influence of illegal drugs, they may also not consume certain legal drugs, such as pep pills, prior to driving or while driving.
Reckless Driving
Drivers sometimes become frustrated, leading them to take unnecessary risks that put the lives of others in danger.
Speeding
Speeding is particularly dangerous when undertaken by semis and other large trucks. Their stopping distance is significantly longer than cars and passenger vehicles.
Sudden Lane Changes
Sudden lane changes are highly dangerous, both because trailers can easily jackknife or swerve into other lanes. A sudden shift with a heavy load can quickly become critically unstable.
Failure to Stop or Yield
While most drivers observe the rules of the road, there are some semi drivers who flaunt these rules, knowing that if other drivers fail to yield to them, the other drivers will be the ones injured.
Improperly Loaded or Oversized Vehicles
Carrying tens of thousands of pounds of cargo can be highly dangerous if not secured correctly. A vehicle must be proper for the load to be carried.
To find out how we fully investigate semi and commercial trucking cases, please contact our firm to speak with a qualified Phoenix truck accident attorney.