Site Design and Optimization byTorque Ventures
« Riverside Personal Injury Lawyers - Attorney | Main | School District Liability Los Angeles - LAUSD »
Driving down the Los Angeles freeways (405, 5, 101, 10, 605) this past weekend, one thing became very clear: the possibility of a collision with a large commercial truck such as an 18-wheeler, semi-truck, container truck or any other over-sized truck is very real.
These types of vehicles are often 5 times the size of the Hummer (one of the largest passenger vehicles on our roads) and weight up to 50 tons. A crash between your average car on the freeway and one of these trucks can be life threatening. An accident with a large truck, 18-wheeler, semi-truck, or any other oversized truck that may be carrying commercial or hazardous materials for transportation may be one of the most serious types of motor vehicle accidents on the roads today.
The Department of Transportation reported that there were 12,389 Large Trucks Involved in Non-Fatal crashes in California in 2006. The National total was 129,494 Non-Fatal crashes of large trucks.
These trucks can be divided into three categories: Light, Medium and Heavy. The Light trucks are defined as those trucks weighing less than 13,000lbs. Some pick-up trucks fall under this category. The Medium Trucks weight between 13,000lbs. – 30,000lbs. Fire trucks, garbage trucks and various construction trucks may fall under this category. Heavy trucks are the heaviest and largest that the law allows on the roads. The maximum weight of a heavy truck is 50 tons.
“Collision with motor vehicle in transport” was recorded as the most harmful event for 79 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal crash.
I found these statistics quite interesting: • Over the past 20 years (from 1981 to 2001) there has been a 37-percent increase in registered large trucks and a 91-percent increase in miles traveled by large trucks. • Over the same time period, the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes each year has declined by 8 percent, and the vehicle involvement rate for large trucks in fatal crashes has declined by 52 percent. • Over the past 10 years (from 1991 to 2001) there has been a 27-percent increase in registered large trucks and a 39-percent increase in miles traveled by large trucks. • The number of large trucks involved in injury crashes each year has increased by 15 percent over the past 10 years, and the vehicle involvement rate for large trucks in injury crashes has declined by 17 percent. • The number of large trucks involved in property damage only crashes has increased by 35 percent over the past 10 years, but the vehicle involvement rate for large trucks in property damage only crashes has declined by 3 percent. • Alcohol involvement (blood alcohol concentration of 0.01 gram per deciliter [g/dl] or more) for large truck drivers in fatal crashes has declined by 75 percent since 1982, the first year of FARS data for alcohol involvement in fatal crashes. Many things can be the cause of a trucking accident in Los Angeles, CA. Most truck accidents are a result of driver related issues such as: running off the road, driving too fast for the conditions, driving in excess of posted speed limit, failure to yield right of way, failure to keep in proper land, inattentive (cell phone), failure to obey traffic signs, erratic or reckless driving, obscured vision by weather conditions, non-moving traffic violations, drowsiness and fatigue, overcorrecting, operating without proper equipment, making improper turns, following too closely, swerving, backing improperly, stopped in roadway, and vision problems.
The largest heavy truck manufacturers in the world include: Daimler-Chrysler, Volvo, PACCAR, Navistar, MAN, Scania, Hino Motors, Iveco, Nissan Diesel and Volkswagen.
Since trucking accidents in Los Angeles, California may be complex and potentially devastating, it is important to speak with an experienced a
Posted by Legal Staff
