How Inexperienced Truck Drivers Cause Tractor Trailer Accidents
Big rig trucking accidents cause extensive damages, frequently including personal injuries and economic losses. Multiple factors contribute to commercial truck accidents. A lack of driver training is one component that increases the risk of a truck crash.
Individuals injured in a commercial truck accident caused by insufficient driver training have a right to pursue compensation for resulting damages. Unfortunately, many are unsure who is liable for truck accidents involving a lack of driver training. Lawyers at the Foley Law Firm work with accident victims from Scranton, Stroudsburg, and Wilkes-Barre, PA, to prove liability and maximize compensation for collision losses.
Is Inexperience a Significant Risk Factor In Trucking Accidents?
A 2020 survey conducted by Virginia Tech found that inexperience is a significant risk factor in commercial truck accidents. The survey evaluated more than 9,000 commercial motor vehicle accidents to determine the impact of age and driver experience on crash rates. While both conditions influenced crash rates, driver experience contributed more to collision risk. The survey concluded that the first year of driving a commercial motor vehicle is the riskiest in terms of crash rates, crash involvement, and moving violations, regardless of the driver’s age. The study suggests that commercial trucking companies should place more focus on driver training.
How Does Inexperience Increase the Risk of a Truck Accident?
Commercial trucks are larger and heavier than passenger vehicles. It takes skill and practice to control a big rig. As with most other skills, the more experience and training a driver receives, the more they perfect their technique.
Inexperienced drivers often fail to access potentially dangerous situations and are unprepared to respond to avoid a collision. Some of the most common errors made by inexperienced commercial truck drivers include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Misjudging how to safely turn, stop a truck, or exit a highway
- Failing to make necessary adjustments to account for poor weather or road conditions
- Failing to inspect a truck to ensure its safety
- Neglecting to request truck maintenance
Who Is Liable For Damages When Driver Inexperience Causes a Truck Accident?
Crashes involving commercial trucks are different than other accidents in many ways, including who may be held liable for damages. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the collision, injury victims may be able to pursue compensation from the truck driver who caused the crash or the trucking company that employs the driver. Trucking companies may be responsible for accident losses if they knowingly hire an inexperienced driver or fail to provide sufficient training.
Truck accident lawyers at the Foley Law Firm evaluate the details of a truck crash to determine the people or parties that should be held accountable for losses. Accident victims may be due compensation for damages such as:
- Medical expenses
- Cost of rehabilitation and therapy
- Lost wages
- Diminished wage-earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
Contact Foley Law Firm
If you have been injured in a truck accident, lawyers at the Foley Law Firm can help you hold liable parties accountable for resulting damages. To schedule a case review and consider your best course of legal action, contact our law firm online at your earliest convenience.
