Our Attorneys Discuss Tracking Drowsy Truck Drivers

Lytx, which provides video telematics, analytics and safety solutions for commercial and public sector fleets, has ranked the top 10 behaviors that lead to truck collisions. Its “State of the Data” is based on 100 billion miles – that’s right, billion – of driving information.

Both “drowsy driving” (No. 3) and “falling asleep” (No. 10) made the list. Other risky behaviors leading to collisions included “blank stare,” “driver not wearing seatbelt,” “aggressive driving” and “late response.”

Lytx reports most collisions involving trucks from January - September 2018 happened between 11 p.m. - 5 a.m., when you would intuitively expect driver fatigue to be a factor.

Big rigs and little sleep are a bad – and often illegal – combination

Truck drivers work long hours. It comes with the job. So does the responsibility to be alert behind the wheel. Federal and state laws dictate mandatory rest breaks and limit how many hours a driver can work in a given period of time. Unfortunately, some truckers, perhaps under pressure from their employers, will ignore laws and common sense to meet their schedules.

Among the reasons that truckers falling asleep are dangerous is that they may not slow their vehicles before a collision. A high-speed collision between a fully loaded, 80,000-pound truck and your 4,000-pound passenger vehicle can easily result in life-threatening injuries.

Don’t take on a trucking company alone

If you’ve been involved in a truck accident caused by a drowsy trucker, you could be recovering from major injuries, unable to work and pay your bills. You are in no shape – physically, financially, mentally or emotionally – to take on a large trucking company, its team of lawyers and its insurance companies (with more lawyers).

You need your own team of legal professionals. The personal injury lawyers at Recht Law Offices have a family tradition of protecting the rights of their clients in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania that stretches back more than a half-century. We know how to investigate accidents involving tired truckers, checking the scene for physical evidence and reviewing trucker log books.

Put our experience to work for you by contacting our offices in Weirton, WV, or Pittsburgh, PA for a free consultation.