Who are the most dangerous drivers on the road in Georgia? Is it (a) street racers burning rubber on a Sunday, (b) senior citizens with failing eyesight crouched low over the wheel on their way to the store, or (c) mirror visored motorcyclists pulling wheelies down the main street?
In fact, it is none of these: The most dangerous drivers on Georgia’s highways and the country as a whole are those sitting high in the cab of tractor-trailers. While most truck drivers are good drivers, they are involved in far more multi-vehicle accidents than any other type of driver.
Large trucks are involved in half a million crashes in the United States every year. Including over 4,500 fatal ones. The statistics have been creeping up year by year according to a report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
If you are driving your car and collide with a truck, you are twice as likely to be killed as the truck driver is. If you are lucky enough to survive, you may well have suffered severe injuries and written off your car.
The FMCSA is currently gathering up to date statistics for causes of truck crashes. Its 2007 report suggested in 44% of truck car collisions the truck was the critical reason the crash occurred. Of these, 87% were to do with the driver, 10% with the vehicle and 3% with the environment.
What is clear is that whatever reason an accident happened, if you have a collision with a truck, you will need legal help. You are likely to have been injured and be facing extensive medical bills and time off work. To get you the compensation you need, you require an attorney to investigate all options. While the truck driver could be at fault, it could also be the trucking company, a brake or tire manufacturer, a mechanic or the company that loaded the truck.
