Three Common Causes Of Truck Accidents In Naples
Naples is a small, friendly beach community along the Gulf Coast off U.S. Highway 41. Interstate 75 is nearby, which brings an increase in visitors and truck traffic to our area. This can pose serious risks for local drivers.
Unfortunately, truck accidents in Naples are common. While the size of most big rigs protects the trucker, other motorists involved often suffer severe personal injuries. Our Naples truck accident lawyer explains more about these crashes and three common causes.
Common Types of Dangerous Driving Behavior That Make Naples Truck Accidents More Likely To Happen
With major highways and an interstate nearby, truck accidents in Naples pose serious risks. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV), an average of nearly 650 truck crashes in Collier County happen each year. Due to the large size of most big rigs, when any type of collision does occur, it can impact drivers in surrounding lanes.
Multi-vehicle pile-ups and life-threatening injuries can happen due to truck accidents in Naples. There are three common types of dangerous driving behavior among truckers that increase the risks:
- Drowsy Driving
Drowsy driving is a serious problem in the trucking industry. It often happens due to overscheduling and failing to provide drivers adequate time to recover after a big trip. Missing even an hour of sleep can cause serious impairments that impact driving abilities.
The risk of being involved in a drowsy driving-related truck accident in Naples increases at night, during the early morning hours, and immediately before holidays or other special occasions, when truckers often work overtime completing shifts.
- Distracted Driving
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) warns that distracted driving is a common concern among truckers and dramatically increases truck accident risks. Anything that causes a truck driver to take their eyes off the road, their hands off the wheel, or their mind off the complex task of operating a big rig can make truck accidents in Naples more likely to happen.
Common types of truck driver distractions include eating and drinking while behind the wheel, talking on cell phones or texting, checking maps or changing GPS settings, and using CB radios.
- Driving Under the Influence
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal and a common cause of motor vehicle crashes and collisions. Truck drivers are not immune. In addition to drunk driving or using recreational drugs, such as marijuana, truckers often rely on over-the-counter products to help them through long trips.
Using over-the-counter cough or allergy medications while driving and stimulants to help them stay awake can cause serious impairments in truckers, increasing accident risks for everyone on the road.
Contact Our Naples Truck Accident Lawyer
The Cardinal Law Firm has extensive experience helping victims of truck accidents in Naples get the compensation they are entitled to in a claim. To get the total amount you need to recover, contact our Naples truck accident lawyer and request a consultation today.
Sources:
flhsmv.gov/pdf/crashreports/crash_facts_2020.pdf
fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/driver-safety/cmv-driving-tips-driver-distraction#:~:text=Driver%20distraction%20increases%20your%20risk,reading%2C%20or%20adjusting%20the%20radio.
