Baltimore Truck Accident Lawyers: Common Causes of Accidents
May 24, 2017
Due to the immense size and weight of large commercial trucks, they can cause massive damage and life-threatening injuries when they are involved in a wreck. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in 2010, large truck accidents were responsible for 3,413 fatalities.
Of those fatal truck accidents, 14 percent of the victims were occupants of the truck whereas 72 percent were occupants of another vehicle. In an effort to prevent future truck accidents and the destruction that they can cause, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS), which identifies some of the common causes of serious accidents involving large, commercial trucks.
Study Results
The study examined truck accidents that occurred between April 2001 and December 2003. There were approximately 120,000 large truck accidents that involved 141,000 trucks. Researchers found the following crash results when there was at least one truck involved, and which caused a serious injury or fatality:
- There were 963 crashes involving 1,123 large trucks and 959 other motor vehicles.
- The crashes above resulted in 249 fatalities and 1,654 injuries.
- Seventy-three percent of these crashes involved a large truck crashing into at least one other vehicle.
- Half of the crashes involved large trucks and passenger vehicles.
Researchers found that there was a statistically significant connection between the following factors and the event that lead to the collision:
- Driving too fast for the road conditions
- Driver’s lack of familiarity with the road
- Interruption in the flow of traffic
- Inadequate surveillance
- False assumptions of how other drivers would react
- Not paying attention to the road
- Driving too fast for the road conditions
- Illness
- Distracted driving
The LTCCS found that there were three critical events that impacted large truck accidents, including:
- Driving out of one lane and into another
- Loss of control due to speeding, cargo that has shifted, vehicle system failure, poor road conditions, or some other factor
- One vehicle rear ending another vehicle
The study also examined the key causes of commercial truck accidents. In 55 percent of the wrecks in the study, researchers found the following to be the most common causes:
Reason and Number of Trucks & Percent of Total
Driver error – 68,000 (87%)
Decision – 30,000 (38%)
Recognition – 22,000 (28%)
Non-performance – 9,000 (12%)
Performance – 7,000 (9%)
Vehicle problems – 8,000 (10%)
Driving environment – 2,000 (3%)
According to the FTCCS, the term decision refers to a driver who chooses to speed, tailgate, or misjudge how fast other vehicles are driving. Recognition refers to a driver who is distracted, or not paying attention to his or her surroundings. Non-performance involves a driver who fell asleep at the wheel, or was impaired by a serious illness like a seizure or heart attack. Finally, performance means that a driver either panicked or overcompensated for a situation and failed to maintain control of the truck.
Baltimore Truck Accident Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Represent Victims of Commercial Truck Accidents
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident involving a commercial truck, do not hesitate to contact the Baltimore truck accidents lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton. We will determine who is responsible for your injuries and seek the maximum financial compensation, protecting your rights every step of the way. To schedule a consultation, call us today at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact us online.
