Many distractions exist while driving. Use of cellular phones while driving is a top distraction. Most new vehicles are equipped with hands-free technology, leading drivers to believe that talking via bluetooth is safe. However, this is not the case. In fact, human factors research shows that our brains remain distracted from the task of driving for several minutes even after hanging up a call. According to the National Safety Council, the use of cell phones while driving causes approximately 26% of motor vehicle crashes.
Human factors research shows that cell phone usage while driving is associated with increased reaction time, decreased situational awareness, more impulsive responses, and shrinks a drivers search area. Further, drivers exhibit less attention to objects even when looking directly at them. Moreover, “Impairments associated with using a cell phone while driving can be as profound as those associated with driving while drunk”. Hands free (Bluetooth) cell phone use is no less distracting than hand-held. What makes cell phone usage particularly dangerous is that drivers do not appreciate that their abilities are impaired due to distraction. Drivers distracted due to the use of cellular phones have little or no input to allow them to appreciate the things they did not see, or the things they looked at and did not process adequately.
Accidents involving commercial vehicles and truck accident typically involve extensive damage and more severe injuries to vehicle occupants due to the magnitude of forces involved.
Truck Accident Statistics
According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data, one person is injured or killed in a truck accident every 10 minutes.
In 2014 there were 213,000 trucking accident resulting in property damage only, 52,000 injury-causing accidents, and 1885 fatal crashes.
About half of all tractor-trailer accidents involve front-end collisions. Back end and side collisions occur in 15 and 12 percent of all crashes, respectively
The top 5 states in which fatal truck accidents occur include Texas, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Exposure
According to a 2016 AAA report, passenger car drivers spend about 290 hours on the road and travel an average of 10,900 miles each year, with atypical life of a passenger car of 8 years and 150,000 miles. Whereas, tractor-trailer operators may work up to 70 hours per week (55 hours driving time) and often travel 10,000 miles or more in a month. Tractors are typically kept in service for 6 years, during which time they can travel 600,000 miles or more. So, mile-for-mile, a tractor-trailer operator’s exposure is 10-fold that of a passenger car driver.
Who’s at fault?
Nearly 90 percent of all trucking accidents result from human error, rather than mechanical breakdown, equipment failure, bad weather or poor road conditions. Examples of human carelessness or recklessness responsible for causing truck crashes include:
Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Distracted driving — eating, using cell phones, applying makeup
Driver fatigue
Running red lights, speeding, failing to yield or otherwise violating traffic laws
While some accidents may involve human error on the part of the tractor-trailer operator, trucks and truck drivers are typically held to a higher standard of operation by Federal Laws and Regulations than passenger cars and drivers. Truck drivers need to successfully complete a more extensive driver training program than is required to drive a passenger car. Commercial vehicles are also inspected more thoroughly and on a more frequent basis.
In fact, more than 75% of truck driving accidents are caused by the driver of the passenger vehicle.
Truck Accident Expert
Dr. Lloyd has served as an expert for both defense and plaintiff’s counsel on a number of cases nationwide involving trucking accidents. Dr. Lloyd is uniquely qualified in that he is certified in accident reconstruction, is an internationally-recognized expert in injury biomechanics and can also address the unique human factors issues that affect tractor-trailer operators, such as visual perception and perceived reaction time.
