California drivers should know about the Large Truck Crash Causation Study. This is a 2007 study that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration undertook over the course of 33 months to find out the most common causes of highway accidents, especially those involving large trucks. Error on the trucker’s part was behind 44% of crashes between one truck and one passenger vehicle.
The LTCCS reveals three common errors among truckers. Twenty-three percent of truck crashes arose because truckers were speeding. This includes cases where truckers exceeded the speed limit as well as cases where they drove too fast for road, weather or traffic conditions. According to the FMCSA, one should reduce speed by at least a third on wet roads and by at least half on snow-packed roads.
Next, 29% of trucks in the study caused a crash because of brake problems. These were the most frequently cited factor in truck crashes. However, while speeding truckers were 670% more likely to be the “critical reason” for a crash than truckers going the speed limit, trucks with bad brakes were 170% more likely to be deemed as such than trucks with well-adjusted brakes.
Lastly, unfamiliarity with an area’s roads, distances and turns was behind 22% of truck crashes. It shows how planning ahead is crucial.
Those who are injured in a truck crash could file a claim, but they may want to consider hiring a Costa Mesa truck accident injury compensation law firm before moving forward. One reason is that personal injury lawyers might have a network of third parties like investigators and medical experts to help build a case up. The investigators may be able to find proof of the trucker’s negligence, for instance. Also, lawyers may speak on victims’ behalf at the negotiation table or in the courtroom.