If you have been involved in a truck accident, you know they can happen suddenly and cause much devastation. Commercial trucks weigh significantly more than smaller passenger vehicles, making them dangerous and even deadly in a collision.

Truck drivers need to be aware of the dangers their vehicles expose others to, and they need to mitigate those risks. Drinking before driving or texting while they’re behind the wheel are risks they shouldn’t be willing to take. Even minor driving errors, like forgetting to signal when passing into another lane, can cause accidents with large amounts of devastation.

Some of the main reasons truck drivers get into accidents include being improperly trained, being pushed to work too much or for too many hours at once, and having to meet unrealistic schedules. People who aren’t trained correctly may not know how to turn accurately or the best ways to control situations where the trailer on their vehicle starts to fall out of alignment. Those who are encouraged to drive faster or spend more hours behind the wheel are more dangerous because of fatigue and the inability to stop as quickly as they could at slower speeds and with better attention.

Unrealistic scheduling is a major concern that businesses need to address. Encouraging drivers to hurry causes accidents by forcing them to work long hours; some may even have to break the law to meet their deadlines and get their loads to the correct places fast enough. This is a huge safety risk and one that puts the truck driver and others at risk of injuries and death.

Source: FindLaw, “Common Causes of Truck Accidents,” accessed March 31, 2016