Drivers Who Own Flatbed Trucks Cause Accidents
Last updated Wednesday, September 28th, 2022
Flatbed Truck Accident Statistics
Even though motor vehicle accidents happen every day, an accident involving a large commercial vehicle such as a flatbed truck can be much more serious and complicated. Because of the large weight and size differences between a large truck and a personal passenger vehicle, the possibility of severe injuries and property damages from a truck crash increases significantly.
What Type of Vehicle is Considered a Large Commercial Vehicle?
Any vehicle over 10,000 lbs. is considered to be a commercial vehicle. A commercial truck can also be known by other names, such as a flatbed truck, semi-truck, 18-wheeler, over-the-road rig, tractor-trailers, Mack trucks, or even dump truck. These vehicles must operate by specific laws due to the fact that they are so large and can cause significant harm if involved in a wreck or accident.
What is a Flatbed Truck?
Flatbed trucks have a cab in the front with an open, side-less platform bed behind. The bed is entirely flat and level and does not have sides. The truck can be either a one-piece design or can have a separate cab and trailer.
Flatbed trucks are easy to load because they don’t have any barriers on the sides or back, making them extremely versatile. They can carry odd-shaped or large loads without requiring an enclosed trailer.
They can be loaded from any angle – back, left, right, or at an angle. There is no need to plan out what part of the load goes into the trailer first.
Once loaded, the cargo is strapped down to secure the load before transportation.
Were You Injured in a Truck Accident? Experienced Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyers Will Get You The Compensation You Deserve.
770-577-3020 for FREE Legal Advice!
How Many Accidents Are Caused Each Year by Truck Drivers?
Motor vehicle accidents happen much more often than any of us would like to believe. Of all motor vehicle accidents, large commercial trucks, unfortunately, cause a large number of accidents on the roads in the United States.
Hundreds of thousands of accidents involve tractor trailer accidents each year. Of those accidents, many injuries and fatalities were the repercussions of these accidents. About 28% of those accidents resulted in injuries, and over 11% resulted in death.
Truck accident statistics
Here are a few statistics involving semi-trucks and flatbed trailers that may surprise you:
- The number of truck accidents has increased more than 50% since 2009
- Most accidents occur during the daytime hours of noon to 3 p.m.
- Tire defects account for almost 30% of accidents involving a truck
- The vast majority of fatalities in a large truck vs. passenger vehicle involve the passengers or drivers in a personal passenger vehicle, not the commercial truck
- The majority of problems resulting from a truck accident vs. a passenger vehicle result in injury (28%) or death (11%) for the driver and/or passengers in the personal vehicle
- The majority of accidents between a flatbed truck and a personal vehicle happen on highways and major roads.
Truck accidents account for 6.5% of total accidents involving motor vehicles. When looking at the facts about flatbed trucks and other large commercial haulers, it’s not a surprise. Hauling rigs are huge. They have many limitations that personal vehicles do not have.
As the victim of a trucking accident, you may be facing monumental injuries and losses that are life-changing. You may find yourself in the position of having to figure out how to begin this new life.
Having an experienced truck accident lawyer with years of knowledge and experience is the key to navigating this difficult legal process. We offer a large variety of information, available easily and in minutes from our website. Information is downloadable and is designed to help you understand the laws involving large trucks or flatbeds.
As a law firm that specializes in truck accident cases, we know the questions to ask and the steps to take to get you compensation for your pain and loss.
What are the Most Common Reasons for Truck Accidents?
Truck accidents occur for a variety of reasons, but the majority of accidents involving a commercial truck come down to driver error on the part of the truck driver.
Other reasons truck accidents occur include:
- Rushing due to strict time regulations
- Distracted driving
- Driving while tired
- Speeding or reckless driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Lack of training for the truck drivers
- Negligent truck maintenance
- Weather or road issues
- Poor truck driver training
- Poor or unbalanced cargo loading.
