Some of the busiest interstates in the country pass through California. Commercial traffic heading in and out of Mexico and also trucks traveling from one coast to the other often pass through California. With international waterways, large airports and countless businesses, California is also the destination and point of origin for many commercial loads.
Unfortunately for motorists in California, the high level of commercial traffic that crosses the state also means a relatively high degree of semi-truck crash risk. Some collisions caused by commercial trucks are unavoidable incidents, but many of them are preventable with better safety practices. For example, distraction among truck drivers is a top safety concern for those sharing the roads with big rigs.
Observational failures are a consistent concern
The laws about texting while driving are all state laws, meaning they are different in every state. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) helped standardize traffic rules for commercial drivers by implementing the federal no-text rule, which applies regardless of the location of a commercial truck.
It is illegal to manually input data into a mobile phone while operating a commercial vehicle. This rule applies to buses, semi-trucks and other vehicles that require a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to operate. The rule is relatively broad and addresses all manual data entry, including the need to dial the phone.
Despite this strict rule, failure to properly monitor one surroundings is one of the leading causes of semi-truck crashes caused by 18-wheelers. According to a long-term study looking at the factors that contributed to semi-truck collisions, roughly 28% have to do with improper surveillance or recognition errors.
Many of those crashes might ultimately be the fault of a distracted commercial driver. Both personal devices and dispatch devices could be the distraction that keeps a truck driver from properly monitoring their surroundings. If a distracted semi-truck driver does cause a crash, then the people involved in the wreck may have the option of pursuing compensation.
Depending on the circumstances, either an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit could be a reasonable option for those affected by a semi-truck collision. Learning more about the rules that govern commercial driving and the causes of commercial crashes can help people prioritize safety and demand justice after a wreck.
