When driving in close proximity to commercial trucks, it’s good practice to assume that the driver is not paying attention to the road. This will help keep you on your toes, which reduces the risk of an accident.
While it’s farfetched to assume that every trucker is distracted, many of them are. Here are some of the top causes of distracted driving among commercial truck drivers:
- Lost in thought: Long hours on the road can lead a trucker to daydream, but doing so for even a few seconds can lead to an accident.
- Eating and/or drinking: Truckers often eat and/or drink while driving as a means of making up time. The problem with this is that they must take one or both hands off the wheel to do so.
- Technology: This can include everything from talking on the phone to texting to reading a GPS system. Technology is a good thing for truck drivers, but it’s also a top cause of accidents.
- Reaching: When a trucker reaches for something in the cockpit, such as a map or beverage, they take at least one hand off the wheel. It’s also likely that they’ll remove their eyes from the road, or at the very least take a different angle on what’s happening around them.
If you’re injured in a distracted driving accident with a trucker, it’s a must to receive medical treatment. You also want to act fast in collecting evidence, as you don’t want to risk the trucker or their employer destroying it to strengthen their case.
With knowledge of your legal rights and the proper approach, you position yourself to hold the driver accountable for your damages and losses.
