Any mistake made behind the wheel of a motor vehicle could prove injurious or even fatal. Regardless of whether the vehicle in question is a boat, a car or a motorcycle, there’s risk to the person driving the others in the vehicle and anyone else nearby.
In cases where a mistake comes from a commercial driver, there is increased potential for a massive accident. Severe injuries and death are possible outcomes. It is also significant because the truck driver does not assume much of the potential risk in these cases.
Truck drivers are not very likely to end up hurt from their mistakes
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, truck drivers are much more likely to kill someone else then to end up hurt or killed themselves. Roughly 97 percent of the people killed in two vehicle crashes with a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle were the people in the smaller vehicle.
In other words, although a truck driver could make a mistake that causes a fatal accident, he or she is very unlikely to be the one who pays the price for that mistake. The size discrepancy and difference in weight between commercial and passenger vehicles makes it all too easy for the bigger vehicles to cause catastrophic damage to the smaller vehicles involved.
Commercial truck drivers are humans like anyone else at the wheel
While it is true that commercial drivers are specially trained professionals who go through more education and get held to higher standards than other drivers, they are still human. That extra education and potential extra scrutiny does not stop a commercial driver from doing the same things that other drivers do on the road.
Trucking is a physically demanding job with long hours. It can lead to discomfort in the hands, arms, legs, back and more. It can also be socially isolating for people who can’t get home every day to see loved ones. All of that pressure can impact a truck driver’s decision-making process and lead him or her to make a questionable choice.
Trucking mistakes can cost other people a lot
Commercial drivers still choose to drive while drunk or under the influence of prescription drugs or illegal drugs. Commercial drivers also choose to text while driving or even get on social media while in control of a massive commercial truck. These habits are dangerous for anyone operating a motor vehicle. When the vehicle in question is a massive commercial truck, everyone else on the road is in danger.
For those who end up hurt or who lose a loved one as the result of a commercial truck driver’s negligence or poor decision-making, there may be options for compensation. It is important to really look at the details of your case to see what rights you have after a collision with a commercial vehicle.