Statistics has shown that the rate at which deadly truck accidents occur in Texas as of late is quite alarming. It also showed that its fatality rate is higher in Texas compared to other states in the US. It earned this rank when it recorded up to 484 fatal accidents resulting from big trucks.
According to https://www.texas-truckaccidentlawyer.com/, this number is much greater than that recorded in California which stood as the second state following Texas with 293 fatal accidents recorded.
Texas alone is a large area covering over 3000 miles of highways that connects it with other states. Perhaps for this reason, a good number of large trucks are said to ply its roads. The reason for the high rate of fatalities is not quite known but according to Houston 18 wheeler accident lawyer, Greg Baumgartner, Texas sure does have problems with 18-wheeler or tractor-trailer crashes that cannot be overlooked.
Due to the fact that the lorries involved in this accident are just so big in size, it makes its injury potential highly significant. This can be seen in a case where a lorry has a collision with a smaller car. One won’t compare the weight of a load which is over 80,000 pounds to that of a traditional passenger car which merely weighs about 5000 pounds.
In addition, when it comes to the duration of time it takes and the distance likely to be covered, bigger trucks take quite a bit longer in time to stop. As if that isn’t enough, majority of semi-trucks come with blind spots which poses danger to other vehicles that are passing by.
The state of Texas monitors both trucking companies and their commercial drivers. Another body in charge of their monitoring and regulation is the Department of Transportation through the FMCSA.
To ensure that they keep accurate records as regards the working conditions of lorries handed over to them to drive, truck drivers need to take certain measures. They should know that there are safety rules and set rules they have to follow with their trucking companies in compliance with the law. Also, the drivers have a limited duration of time they can drive every 24 hours.
It is not realistic to say that just regulation would resolve the high fatality rate in Texas. Even family drivers and owners of smaller cars should be careful while on the road and drive with extreme care. If you are a driver, endeavour to avoid areas where bigger trucks can’t see you as much as you can. Apply maintenance measures to your car and its parts to avoid total breakdown as this can lead to collisions and accidents along the highway. Always anticipate that larger lorries take longer to navigate and manoeuvre than your car, which is smaller in size.
