Experts In This Article
- Michael T. Gibson, Esq., Lead Attorney & President at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., Auto Justice Attorney, Catastrophic Injuries Expert and Licensed for 17 years
- Todd Curtin Esq., Partner & Lead Trial Attorney at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., Auto Justice Attorney and Licensed for 8 years
- Amit Jhalli, Esq. Attorney at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., Auto Justice Attorney, Personal Injury Pre-suit Investigation & Brain Injury Expert and Licensed for 9 years
Aggressive driving substantially raises the risk of an accident in any vehicle. Aggressive truck drivers, on the other hand, can cause even more substantial damage. The average big truck may weigh as much as 80,000 lbs. Compared to the average passenger vehicle, which may weigh between 3,500 and 5,000 lbs, that means a great deal of size and mass.
A truck’s larger size means that it’s more difficult to maneuver and requires more time to stop, more time to turn, and more time to slow down when the car in front goes slower than anticipated. Unfortunately, aggressive driving can take away the time needed for those maneuvers, substantially raising the risk of an accident. When an accident does occur, the truck’s larger mass may lead to severe injuries and you may need to reach out to a truck accident lawyer.
Why Do Truck Drivers Drive Aggressively?
Many truck drivers spend dozens of hours on the road each week. Each shift, which can last for up to 14 hours, may mean as much as 11 hours behind the wheel each day. Thus, many truck drivers learn how to calmly handle challenges on the road; however, that does not mean that truck drivers will always drive safely. Aggressive driving can result from several situations.
Road Rage
Road rage can get the best of even competent drivers who are used to spending countless hours out on the road. Sometimes, road rage has a clear cause: another driver that cuts off a truck driver, for example, or perhaps a driver that engages in unsafe behavior when sharing the road with a big truck. Other times, however, road rage may result from circumstances outside the control of any individual driver. Truck drivers may rage over traffic jams, slow travel times, and other challenges that no one can do anything to prevent.
Tight Deadlines
Often, trucking companies put their drivers on tight deadlines, pressuring them to rush while out on the road so that they can complete their deliveries faster or make more deliveries within the same amount of time. Sometimes, drivers may engage in aggressive driving tactics to reach their destinations faster, which can help alleviate the strain of those deadlines.
Traffic Jams and Other Challenges That Make Drivers Late
Along with the aforementioned tight deadlines, truck drivers often face challenges that may make them late to their next drop-off or appointment. A traffic jam that slows traffic down for an hour, for example, may leave truck drivers struggling to get to their destinations on time. Once they have faced those challenges, they may drive aggressively in the future to reduce the chances that they will end up late.
Getting Close to Deadlines
Federal regulations mandate that truck drivers can spend only up to eleven hours out of a fourteen-hour shift on the road. After that point, truck drivers must get off the road and out from behind the wheel. They must also take a minimum thirty-minute break after spending eight hours behind the wheel. As drivers approach these deadlines, the drivers may drive more aggressively, especially if they want to reach a specific destination before the deadline passes. Drivers who have faced traffic jams and other delays on the route may prove more likely to push aggressively to reach their destinations.
Poor Road Conditions
Poor road conditions can pose frustrating challenges for any driver. Truck drivers, however, may face even more challenges due to poor road conditions and maintenance. Bottlenecks, a lack of proper traffic signals, and a lack of signs can all contribute to poor road conditions, as can potholes and narrow lanes. In these conditions, truck drivers may have more trouble controlling their vehicles and staying out of problem areas. Consequently, drivers may engage in aggressive driving to maintain their position on the road or to decrease the other challenges they may face.
Pay Per Mile
Some trucking companies, rather than paying their drivers an hourly wage, pay their drivers per mile traveled. In good driving conditions, with clear roads and good weather, drivers may make more money than they can in tight driving conditions. As time starts to slip by without traveling adequate miles, however, some truck drivers may engage in aggressive driving behaviors to increase the number of miles that they can travel and increase their wages.
Types of Aggressive Truck Driving Behavior
Aggressive driving can take many forms, particularly when it involves a truck driver.
Speeding
At high rates of speed, truck drivers may need a much longer time to bring their vehicles to a safe stop. Unfortunately, many truck drivers may increase their rate of speed to make up lost time on the road or to reach a specific destination before their deadlines. Speeding, however, substantially raises accident risk in any vehicle. For truck drivers, the consequences of speeding may prove even more severe, since truck drivers may need more time to slow their vehicles or bring them to a safe stop.
Tailgating
Some truck drivers will tailgate other vehicles to push them to move faster. Tailgating can make other drivers nervous, especially with a big truck taking up most of the space in the rearview mirror. Truck drivers may also tailgate due to failing brakes that make it difficult for drivers to stop their vehicles safely.
When a truck driver tailgates and highway traffic suddenly stops, they may not stop their vehicle in time to avoid a serious crash.
Ignoring Traffic Signals
Traffic signs and signals exist to help traffic flow smoothly and safely. Aggressive truck drivers, however, may ignore those signals altogether as they try to push their way through traffic. They may choose to come to only a brief stop, to only slow down for red lights and stop signs, or to fly through the intersection and assume that other drivers will move out of harm’s way. Truck drivers may also struggle to stop their vehicles in time if a red light occurs unexpectedly, so drivers should carefully watch out for trucks in intersections.
Weaving Through Traffic
Truck drivers have a much harder time changing lanes than drivers of passenger vehicles. Truck drivers often lack a clear view down the side of the vehicle, especially down the right side, which makes it more difficult for them to change lanes safely. Truck drivers behaving aggressively, however, may still choose to weave through traffic, cutting other drivers off and making it difficult for them to continue safely to their destinations. When driving aggressively, truck drivers may have an increased risk of changing lanes on top of another vehicle. Often, truck drivers engage in aggressive lane changing to make up lost time after a serious accident.
Trying to Run Another Driver Off the Road
Truck drivers who give in to road rage may try to run another driver off the road. Sometimes, aggressive truck drivers may get angry with a driver that cuts them off. They may try to force that vehicle off the road or, in extreme cases, even ram into it deliberately.
Failure to Yield Right of Way
Aggressive truck drivers may choose to push forward instead of yielding right of way to other vehicles on the road. Failure to yield the right of way can make it more difficult for other drivers to determine what the truck will do next or to drive safely to their destinations.
Reckless truck drivers may fail to yield the right of way when making lane changes, at traffic intersections, or merging onto a busy highway.
Three Consequences of Aggressive Truck Driving
Aggressive truck driving can have immense consequences, both for the truck driver and for any victims of a resulting accident.
- Severe injuries. Aggressive driving may substantially raise the risk of sustaining severe injuries in any type of accident. Speeding, for example, not only raises accident risk, but also increases the severity of the injuries that victims may suffer. Since trucks have much greater mass than passenger vehicles, truck drivers who drive aggressively may cause much more severe injuries, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones.
- Increased risk of several types of truck-specific accidents. Not only does aggressive driving increase the risk of rear-end and sideswipe collisions, but also it may significantly increase the risk of rollover accidents or jackknife accidents, which often occur because a truck driver loses control of the vehicle. Aggressive driving may make it more difficult for a truck driver to control the vehicle, which may make these types of accidents more likely.
- Unpredictable driving behaviors. Aggressive drivers can prove much more difficult to predict. When a driver follows the rules of the road, other drivers can usually determine what actions that driver will take next. A driver who fails to follow those rules, however, can make it very difficult for other drivers to determine the driver’s future actions, which may increase the risk that another driver will cause an accident.
What Should You Do After an Accident with an Aggressive Truck Driver?
After an accident with an aggressive truck driver, you should take several important steps to help protect yourself, both medically and financially.
1. Report the accident.
Even if you believe that you suffered only minor injuries in the accident, always report it. Aggressive truck drivers may push you to avoid making a police report, insisting that their insurance will take care of the damage and that you have no need to wait for the police to arrive. Truck drivers may even point out that they have perishable cargo or a tight deadline that they must meet to keep their job.
You should not, however, ignore the regulations requiring you to report a serious accident. Not only does an aggressive driver need to face the consequences of those actions, but failure to report your accident could make it more difficult for you to receive compensation for any injuries you suffered or damage your vehicle sustained.
Notify the police about any aggressive behaviors you noticed before your accident. Often, the behaviors of a big truck driver prove more noticeable than the actions of the driver of a passenger vehicle. You may have noticed the driver weaving through traffic or speeding. You may even have made an effort to get away from the driver, only to end up in an accident anyway. Let the police know about those aggressive driving behaviors and how they impacted your accident.
2. Seek medical attention for your injuries.
After a seemingly minor accident, you may think that you did not suffer significant injuries. You may even assume that you can walk away from the scene of the accident without consequence. In some cases, however, the adrenaline from your truck accident may conceal severe injuries.
Many accident victims discover weeks or months after the initial accident that they sustained more severe injuries than they originally thought. These individuals may then find themselves struggling to prove when their injuries occurred or to seek compensation for those injuries.
By going to the doctor immediately after your accident, you accomplish two clear purposes. First, you fully establish the extent of your injuries and can create a treatment plan that will allow you to get the help you need. Second, you create a record of exactly when your injuries occurred, which can make it easier for you to seek compensation.
3. Contact a truck accident attorney as soon as possible.
As soon after your accident as possible, get in touch with a truck accident attorney. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help ensure that you have a solid understanding of the compensation you deserve. Not only that, an attorney can help evaluate the circumstances that led to your truck accident, including the driver’s aggressive behaviors, and give you a better idea of who may have contributed to your accident. Finally, an attorney can help deal with the insurance company on your behalf, which may provide you with a better overall outcome than you could achieve on your own.
If you suffered serious injuries in a truck accident, do not wait, contact an attorney. The longer you wait, the more difficult it may prove to recover maximum compensation.
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