What to Know About Truck Driver Fatigue
A leading cause of truck accidents is truck driver fatigue. Truckers often have to work monotonous and long hours that may require driving at night. It is no surprise that truck driver drowsiness can rapidly turn into a tragic situation. Truckers are bound by regulations and laws that necessitate proper breaks and rest periods. However, due to the demand of commerce, the culture at the trucking company may be to arrive at the destination quickly and by whatever means needed.
Those who are in an accident with a commercial truck should be wary that fatigue may have been a factor in the collision unfolding. Here are a few factors that often lead to truck driver fatigue. If you have been injured in a truck accident, contact our MD truck accident lawyer today.
- What time of day the trucker drives
Truckers who choose to drive at night are at a greater risk for causing an accident. Research shows that accidents due to fatigue are more likely to happen during normal sleeping hours. Truckers may prefer to drive at night since there are fewer cars, but if they are low on sleep then they could cause a fatigue-related collision.
- How many hours the trucker has been awake
Truckers who have already been awake for 18 hours or more may show impairment in their cognitive ability. Being awake for that number of hours is similar to having a blood alcohol level of someone who is drunk. Essentially, a trucker who is on the road and hasn’t slept in 18 hours poses as much of a danger to others as a drunk driver.
- Whether the trucker has a sleep disorder
Many cases of sleep disorder go undiagnosed and untreated, which greatly increases the risk of being in a fatigue-related accident. For example, studies show that truckers who have sleep apnea are twice as likely to cause a serious collision.
- The rotating nature of shift schedules
Due to the schedules of the commerce industry, truckers frequently have to fulfill shifts that are not set. Rotating schedules have shown to increase fatigue, simply because of the fact that this can cause someone to not get the rest they need between each shift.
Sleep deprivation has shown to cause numerous adverse impacts on a trucker’s cognitive abilities, such as impaired memory, increased distractions, slower reflexes and reaction time, impaired sense of balance, impaired judgement, and increased chances of falling asleep.
Contact Our MD Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, you may need legal help that only a skilled truck accident lawyer can provide. The truck accident lawyers at The Law Firm of Frederick J. Brynn, P.C. have more than 75 years of combined experience fighting for injured victims against trucking companies and their insurance companies — who try to compensate victims with far less than they deserve, or try to deny the claim and their liability completely.
Accident victims may be unclear of the legal process to follow after an accident. In many cases, accident victims may be too consumed with their recovery to be able to dedicate or focus any time on their accident case. As a result, you may unknowingly make a mistake by speaking with the opposing counsel or insurance adjuster. This is a key reason for obtaining a truck accident lawyer. Let us do the talking and keep your interests at the forefront so that you are able to fully focus on your recovery in the days following the accident.
Contact a Maryland lawyer for truck accident cases The Law Firm of Frederick J. Brynn, P.C. to set up your free case evaluation.
