Three Main Causes of Truck Accidents in Oklahoma
Hurt in an Oklahoma trucking accident? There are a variety of factors that can lead to a truck wreck. Below are three main contributing factors to tractor trailer crashes in Oklahoma.
Poor Road and Highway Conditions
The highways of Oklahoma have a lot of history, but unfortunately, with history comes age. In 2007, Oklahoma had the nation’s highest number of bridges classified as structurally deficient. Nearly 6,300 bridges were in disrepair on Oklahoma’s primary highway system, one of the country’s main shipping routes. Heavy trucks put enormous strain on these bridges, and hundreds of trucks travel across them every day.
Poorly Maintained Trucks / Dangerous Cargo
These trucks are not always in the best of shape. Many older vehicles are in need of repair or even replacement but are still on the road because such maintenance is expensive. When shaky, lumbering vehicles are entrusted to carry volatile cargo such as oil or natural gas, the combination can be dangerous – and often deadly.
Truck Driver Error
Of course, it’s not only the state of the vehicle that raises the odds of atrucking accident. The most common cause of semi-truck accidents is everyday human error:
- A driver who is tired, overworked, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Drivers going too fast in order to meet a deadline
- Truckers not leaving enough space between cars when braking or merging
- Failure to adjust driving speed in bad weather or heavy traffic
- Driver distraction due to a cellphone, radio, or other electronic device
- Failure to check blind spots and mirrors before a lane change
- Ignoring routine maintenance or failing to submit to regular equipment inspections
- Inexperienced or elderly truckers
- Improper loading of the vehicle’s cargo
Most of these contributing factors are the result of somebody’s negligence. Don’t let someone else’s mistake ruin your life. If you have been injured in an Oklahoma trucking accident, you need the advice of professionals. Please call The Buxton Law Group today at (405) 604-5577.