Florida Personal Injury Blog
MIAMI TRUCKING ACCIDENT LAWYER SHARES INSIGHT ON HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS INVOLVING TRUCKS
A highway trucking accident can happen anytime a truck takes to a highway, avenue, or Miami street. In Florida, the Miami trucking accident lawyers at the Perazzo Law Firm, understand that trucks are regularly involved in highway accidents given their characteristics, and many times, the adverse weather conditions which truck drivers must face. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, negligence and human error are the number one causes of trucking accidents. Other common trucking accidents can be caused by poor vehicle maintenance on behalf of truck owners. Poor vehicle maintenance that leads to a truck accident can include the condition of a trucks tires, which can range from 6 to 18, faulty brakes, and poorly secured loads that may make their way onto roadways, for example in a rollover accidents. When an 18-wheeler takes to a highway for an extended period of time, and after having covered thousands of miles, one its tires can blow-out and cause an accident. Thus, if you’ve ever had to pass a truck on the highway and feared that one of its tires might blow-out, your fear is justifiable. In the picture accompanying this text, the driver was overtaking a truck loaded with wooden planks on a two-lane highway in good weather. Overtaking an 18-wheel truck carrying such a load can frighten even the most experienced drivers, as the fear that the load may shift, become unfastened, or a tire might blow-out and lead to the truck losing control or parts of the tire coming into contact with your windshield. Normally, truck drivers hauling heavy loads do not speed but may cause an accident due to other factors such as: drowsiness, careless driving, or sudden maneuvers needed to avoid a collision. When a truck needs to brake suddenly, change lanes or swerve, other motorists may not react accordingly and experience a collision. An accident involving a truck, most often end in tragedy or devastating damages.
Steps to take when passing a truck on the highway:
- Whenever a driver aims to overtake a truck on a highway, there are simple safety tips which drivers must apply.
- Do not pass a truck on the right. Always pass a truck using the lane to the truck’s left.
- Always try to let the truck driver know you are planning to overtake the vehicle. This can be done by honking the horn once or flashing the high-beams. Letting a truck driver know what you are planning to do is important for many reasons. Firstly, it alerts the driver of your presence and prevents an unexpected lane change in the event of a traffic situation ahead that may warrant such a maneuver.
- Make sure your headlights are on and always use your turn signals to alert other drivers of a lane change.
- Get out of the truck driver’s blind spot as quickly as possible. The longer a driver remains in a truck’s blind spot, the greater the chances of an accident.
- Do not tailgate a truck and then attempt to pass it. Another vehicle may be attempting to pass or coming head-on in a two way roadway with no divider.
- When the driving conditions are adverse due to bad weather, take extra precaution when attempting to overtake a truck.
Poorly loaded payloads and cargo are quite common and most often lead to severe accidents involving other motorists. When cargo is poorly loaded or improperly fastened, the slightest sudden maneuvers can cause the payload to make its way onto the highway. Many poorly loaded cargos cause accidents on highways throughout Florida, which has some of the most important and truck-congested roadways in the United States.
Trucking Company and Truck Driver Safety
Taking to the wheel of a semi, tractor trailer, or 18-wheeler requires much more than driver awareness; it also requires proper safety measures on behalf of the trucking company and all those in charge of loading or unloading the freight to be transported. Trucks carrying heavy cargo or hazardous materials that can jeopardize the health or wellbeing of other motorists or society as a whole must abide by strict measures and ensure proper loading and unloading procedures. Cargo must meet the required limits and must not exceed their load capacity. Furthermore, cargo must be securely fastened, and precautionary steps should be taken in the event of an accident or an unexpected or aggressive maneuver. Hazardous materials such as chemical substances, fuels, or other liquids that can cause harm if exposed to the atmosphere, must be properly loaded and transported in containers that are prepared to withstand the impact from an accident or controlled if spilled onto roadways.
If you have been involved in an accident involving a truck, contact the Miami truck accident lawyers at the Perazzo Law Firm for a FREE initial consultation.
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