Cars, Vans, and SUV’s Sharing the Road with Large Trucks

Tractor trailers, 18-wheelers and semi-trucks are involved in an accident causing death or personal injuries every 16 minutes in the United States. A large percentage of tractor trailer accidents and large truck accidents are caused by truck driver fatigue. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that nearly 98% of fatalities in large truck accidents involve the people in passenger vehicles, like cars, vans and SUV's sharing the road with these large trucks.

Large Truck Industry Regulations

There are many federal safety regulations and laws surrounding the large truck industry. Trucks with a weight over 10,000 pounds are considered large trucks, and must follow the regulations including having commercial licenses to drive the vehicles, drug and alcohol testing, and limiting the number of hours on the road. Despite the regulations, driver fatigue is still a leading factor in a good 40% of large truck accidents; 67% of fatally injured drivers had one or more drugs in their system during the accident; over 23% of trucks involved with roadside truck inspections have serious violations; and a large number of accidents are attributed to driver error.

Tips for Sharing the Road with Large Trucks

When driving in your car, SUV or van, it's a good idea to improve your odds to avoid accidents with these large trucks. Stay out of the truck's blind spots, which means to take care when passing and to stay far enough behind the truck when traveling behind them that they can see you in their side mirrors.

Always use your car signals to turn or pass, and down swerve around large trucks who cannot manuever their vehicles quickly in response.

What Happens if You're Involved in a Large Truck Accident?

If you are injured in a large truck accident, or someone you love has been killed as a result of an accident with a large truck, you need an experienced WP accident lawyer like Lever & Stolzenberg, in White Plains, NY, on your side to protect your rights.




Lever & Stolzenberg, LLP is located in White Plains, New York and serves clients throughout the state, including New York City's five boroughs (The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island) as well as Westchester County, Rockland County and Long Island. 

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