The tractor-trailers that travel down Georgia’s roads can easily weigh up to 80,000 pounds. They pack enough brute force to demolish a passenger car. For this reason, a drowsy driver behind the wheel is a recipe for disaster.
Reasons truck drivers are fatigued
Truck drivers are on the road for long hours. They drive through the night, and this can sap their energies. The pressure to meet deadlines and make deliveries means drivers may not have enough time to rest. Couple that with medical conditions like sleep apnea, and it’s easy to see why some drivers find it challenging to stay awake.
Dangers of tired truck driver
A tired truck driver can have difficulty focusing on the road. This can lead to mistakes, like running a red light. When a driver is fatigued, their reaction times are slower. This makes it difficult for them to avoid or correct driving mistakes.
Some shipping and transport companies pressure drivers to stay on the road as long as possible. However, drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel and cause truck accidents may be breaching their duty of care to keep people safe.
How can it be proven that fatigue led to a truck accident?
Large over-the-road trucks have electronic logging devices (ELD). These devices make tracking, managing, and sharing records of duty status easier and faster. The information recorded by these could indicate that a driver was fatigued. Indirect evidence, including medical claims and the time of day a truck accident occurred, could point to a driver being drowsy or sleeping behind the wheel.
Truckers may be held legally responsible for accidents caused by driving while drowsy. Additionally, the company that owned the truck or cargo could sometimes be held liable. The best case is to avoid these scenarios by truckers getting sufficient sleep to drive safely.