Those men and women that work to maintain the safety of Canadian roads have expressed concern, regarding the increased number of truck accidents. Their research into such collisions has shown that most of the accident involved some type of transport truck. While the nature of the large vehicle that has collided with a smaller vehicle tends to remain the same, not every accident has the same cause. However, contacting the personal injury lawyer in Leamington can help you get the required legal assistance.
Typical reasons for collisions involving one or more trucks:
• Lack of attention on the part of the driver, leading to a diminished awareness of the surroundings
• Driver fatigue
• Distracted driver
• Driver lacks ability to perceive and react to a hazardous or dangerous situation.
Instances where violation of traffic laws increases the chances for a collision:
• Driver is speeding.
• Driver fails to yield the right-of-way.
• Driver fails to demonstrate safe practices when passing other vehicles. Some drivers do not signal their intentions; other do not check to see if other vehicles are in the adjoining lane.
• Driver gets behind the steering wheel when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Situations in which the cause of the accident points to a factor that is beyond the driver’s control:
The truck has not been loaded properly. If the driver must do the loading, he or she should receive clear instructions, so that the load is secure and balanced. Cargo not secured. If the driver has been asked to load and secure the carried items, then the supplier or truck owner should arrange for the availability of the necessary equipment. Someone has overlooked a deficiency during a maintenance check. The deficiency could be due to a missing part or a non-functioning part.
New regulations in Ontario, which are meant to decrease the number of truck-related accidents
A limitation on the number of hours that any one driver can spend behind the steering wheel, during the course of a single day. This regulation is meant to force drivers to take more and longer breaks. Arrangements have been made to ascertain the effectiveness of the new regulations.
Certain government officials have been tasked with monitoring the drivers’ schedules. Each driver must keep some type of log, whether written on paper or stored in a computer. Government officials charged with traffic safety have the right to request such a log at any time, and to examine its contents.
These new regulations address the most common reasons for a collision involving a transport vehicle (truck). Statisticians will now need to study the data that has been gathered by those that patrol the roads. Such a study should help to reveal any noticeable changes in the primary cause of truck collisions, once the drivers should be less fatigued.