Under normal conditions, truck driving is a challenging occupation. It takes extreme focus and caution to avoid serious accidents and fatalities.
When distracted driving occurs, the risks of an accident increase, as does the severity of the accident. Distractions can take many forms, but all have equally damaging consequences.
Distracted driving
When comparing driving while intoxicated with distracted driving, they are equally dangerous. Distracted drivers may not be looking at the road or they may not have a firm grip on the wheel. Distractions also include a mind that is not present and focusing on the road or nearby vehicles. Any of the situations can slow reaction times, and a few seconds is all it takes for a major accident to occur.
Impact and damage
A commercial vehicle carries more force and weight than a standard automobile, leaving devastation in its path when a tractor-trailer is out of control. Rear-end collisions, where a truck impacts a smaller vehicle, can lead to fatalities and totaled vehicles. There is an increased risk of getting crushed by the truck, but there is also the threat of getting trapped in a burning vehicle. Diesel is highly flammable, and the impact between the two vehicles could cause a fire. The contents of the truck could ignite quickly, creating a catastrophic incident.
In addition to bodily injury, death and property damage, truck drivers face the threat of fines, getting ordered out of service or disqualification for texting or using hand-held devices while driving. This is a common cause of distracted driving.
Distracted driving has devastating consequences both for the driver and nearby travelers. The situation grows more dangerous when a truck driver engages in distracted driving.