Commercial drivers that operate large trucks or drive passenger-vehicles like buses in the United States are at the most risk for crashes when these motorists engage in unsafe driving behaviors. To address this issue, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Administration worked with law enforcement agencies to focus on educating and correcting those acting unsafe while driving commercial vehicles.
The 2016 Operation Safe Driver Week took place on October 16-22. The Large Truck Crash Causation Study showed the need for this effort as the study found that 93 percent of passenger-vehicle crashes are caused by driver behavior along with 88 percent of large truck accidents.
Authorities watched for a variety of unsafe behaviors that commercial drivers typically engage in like:
- Speeding
- Failure to obey traffic control devices
- Distracted driving
- Failure to use a seat belt
- Improper lane change
- Following too closely
These were some of the main reasons officers pulled over commercial drivers during this year’s event, and more than 21,012 of these drivers were pulled over by officers.
Overall, truck accidents comprise a small number of the total wrecks in a year. However, preventing large vehicle crashes is important as the size of these machines make severe injuries or fatalities more likely. As driver behavior is the main factor in these crashes, these incidents are preventable. When someone suffers injuries due to a truck or large vehicle accident caused by recklessness, this person could seek compensation from both a driver and the company the commercial driver works for.
For more information about what to do after a large vehicle accident, contact us today.
