4 Things Commercial Truckers Can Do to Prevent Accidents
You can’t stop something from occurring if you don’t know why it happens in the first place.
That’s why it’s so important for commercial truck drivers to understand how trucking accidents happen. While some aren’t preventable, many are — as long as the driver is properly trained in safety procedures and follows them without fail.
4 Ways Truckers Can Prevent Truck Accidents
Whether you’re a commercial truck driver who is just starting out or a driver who has been at it so long that you’ve become a little bit complacent, these are the top things you can do to keep yourself (and those around) safe on the road:
- Avoid Speeding. While this should go without saying, drivers sometimes feel a lot of pressure to make deadlines and may push the limits on a fairly empty highway. But speeding leads to rollovers really easily, especially around sudden bends in the road.
- Checking Cargo Before Traveling. Never trust the people loading your truck to load it the right way — you don’t know how inexperienced the workers at the loading dock are on any given day. If your load isn’t evenly distributed, your life could be at stake when that load suddenly shifts and causes your rig to topple.
- Completing a Mechanical Inspection of the Rig. Make a checklist of everything that you need to examine before you start — from your tire pressure to the hitch — and use it every time. If there’s a repair issue that needs handled, don’t get back on the road until you know the work has been done.
- Drugs, Distraction and Driver Fatigue. These are three “Deadly D’s” that you can totally control. Never get behind the wheel when you’re impaired by drugs, even if it’s just cough medicine. Keep your eyes on the road and don’t get distracted by cellphones, radios, passengers or lunch. If you’re overly tired, take a break. It’s better to get to a destination an hour behind schedule than not get there at all.
Contact Our South Carolina Truck Accident Lawyers Today!
The economic and physical toll from a truck accident can be tremendous. Anyone who has suffered serious injuries as a result of one can benefit from the advice of an attorney. Contact our team at Wilson Law Group today.
Source: accidentvalues.com, “4 Most Common Reasons for Heavy Truck Accidents,” accessed Aug. 10, 2017