Distracted driving is dangerous driving behavior and that danger can increase when a truck driver is behind the wheel of a 80,000 pound truck and driving distracted. Distracted driving can cause serious truck accidents and injuries and harm to victims for which they should understand the protections available.
Truck driver distracted driving laws
Truck drivers are prohibited from texting while driving for good reason. Truck drivers who text while driving are 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a safety-critical event than truck drivers who do not. A safety-critical event is defined as crash, near-crash or unintentional lane deviation. In addition, studies show that texting drivers, on average, remove their eyes from the roadway for a total of 4.6 seconds. If the distracted driver is traveling at 55 miles per hour, that is like traveling the length of a football field without looking at the road. Behind the wheel of a fully-loaded semi-truck, this behavior is extremely dangerous for those they are sharing the roadway with. Truck drivers must also use hands-free cell phones and only press one button to initiate or terminate a voice call.
Protections for truck accident victims
Victims of truck accidents can suffer significant injuries and harm and need help with their medical expenses which can quickly pile up, lost wages that accumulate during their time away from work recovering from their injuries and with the emotional toll of being unexpectedly injured in a truck accident. A personal injury claim for damages can help hold a distracted truck driver or negligent trucking company accountable and help injured truck accident victims obtain the compensation they need for their physical, financial and emotional damages.
