A truck driver might have a spotless driving record and work hard to avoid making any mistakes while traveling. However, the truck driver could still end up involved in a serious accident. Unfortunately, truck accidents sometimes turn out to be unpredictable. Certain factors can contribute to a truck accident in Florida, and negligence might play a role.
Special considerations with truck accidents
When traveling at 65 mph, a massive tractor-trailer might require a few seconds and a distance longer than a football field to stop. The person causing an accident might be a car driver who cuts in front of the truck. Fellow drivers who take ill-advised chances near an over-sized truck might make an accident unavoidable.
Truck drivers may need to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to deliver a load on time. That could involve the truck driver traveling at high speed on highways for hours and driving during heavily congested conditions, putting the truck in proximity to many vehicles. Some of those fellow commuters may be reckless drivers.
Fatigue and time spent on the road
The longer a truck driver spends on the road, the more risk the driver may face of other cars causing an accident. A vehicle spending eight hours a day on the road for five days a week experiences 40 full hours of potential exposure to an accident.
Driving long hours may also lead to fatigue. A truck driver could get tired behind the wheel and experience delayed reactions or impaired perceptions.
Having so many drivers on the road can cause commercial truck accidents to be somewhat unpredictable. When negligence contributes to an accident, the negligent party might face a civil suit.