What Causes Rear-End Truck Accidents?

When people think of rear-end accidents on San Antonio’s roadways, they may not necessarily equate that with severe or life-changing injuries. Due to the immense size and weight of transport trucks, rear-end crashes result in some of the most serious types of injuries. Below, our San Antonio truck accident attorney explains what causes these crashes.

Common Causes of Rear-End Truck Accidents 

Just like other motorists, truck drivers can act negligently in a number of ways that cause a truck accident. There are some causes of rear-end truck accidents, though, that are more common than others. These include:

• Distracted driving: Truck drivers face many distractions when they are behind the wheel. These include their smartphones, the systems within the truck, eating, drinking, and more. When a truck driver is distracted, they may not notice that they are approaching a smaller vehicle until it is too late.
• Tailgating: Tailgating is another term for following a front vehicle too closely. This is a dangerous action for any driver but for truckers, even more so. Due to their size and weight, it takes much longer to bring a transport truck to a full stop. If truckers are following another vehicle too closely, they do not have the distance they need to brake, slow down, and stop. This can cause them to rear-end the vehicle in front of them.
• Speeding: Again, trucks require a great deal more distance to slow down and stop. When truck drivers speed, they reduce the distance, and time, between them and other vehicles. They may not be able to stop in time before rear-ending another vehicle.
• Inclement weather: It is true that heavy fog, strong winds, and excessive rain can make it more difficult for a truck driver to operate their vehicle safely. Still, truckers are responsible for knowing how to slow and stop their vehicle in all weather conditions. If the weather is too bad to drive, truckers should remain off of the roads.

How Can Trucking Companies Prevent a Rear-End Accident?

There are many ways trucking companies can prevent rear-end accidents. These include:

• Ensuring their drivers are properly qualified and trained
• Ensuring their vehicles are equipped with safety technologies, such as automatic emergency braking and collision avoidance systems
• Ensuring their vehicles are equipped with driver-facing cameras, or in-cab video devices, which are used to monitor truck drivers’ actions on the road, capturing footage of their face, upper body, and sometimes the cab environment, to ensure safety protocols and detect risky behaviors like distraction, smartphone use, or fatigue
• Complying with state and federal regulations, such as the hours of service rule as well as proper inspection and maintenance procedures

Our Truck Accident Attorney in San Antonio Can Determine the Cause of Your Crash 

At the Law Office of Israel Garcia, our San Antonio truck accident attorney can conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of your rear-end crash so you know who to hold liable for paying compensation. Call us now at 210-LAW-9999 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and to get the legal help you need.

Sources:

txdot.gov/safety/driving-laws/texting-cellphone-laws.html

texas.public.law/statutes/tex._transp._code_section_545.351