Sadly, many people die each year in New Mexico due to truck accidents. The rate of these accidents has been escalating at an alarming rate. These kinds of accidents increased by 13% between 2020 and 2021. While some of this may be attributed to increasing deliveries post-pandemic, not all of it can be. It’s important to examine the causes of such accidents to save lives.
Mechanical failure
The report citing the 13% increase in truck accidents cites the fact that lawmakers are trying to change the law to make large trucks safer on the road. This includes the possibility of mandating the installation of automatic emergency braking on all new trucks and driver assistance software. Indeed, part of the problem is that large trucks, such as semis, are inherently more challenging to control in emergencies.
Driver fatigue
A second huge source of truck accidents is driver fatigue. Operating any dangerous vehicle while sleep-deprived can end up with terrible consequences. When the vehicle in question is a semi, the results can be devastating. Unfortunately, many truck drivers are under pressure to make deliveries across extreme distances quickly. While drivers may wish to get more rest, lowering the number of accidents due to driver fatigue will also require delivery and logistics to allow for more realistic time frames to make deliveries.
Drunk driving
One would hope that companies would only hire truck drivers that do not have a history of drunk driving or alcoholism. Unfortunately, some do still make it through the cracks. Employers must ensure that the hiring process is extensive to weed out such problem drivers. While not everyone who drives while drunk has a history of it, a wide margin do have a history of problems with drinking.
There are, of course, other sources of truck accidents that should be accounted for in this massive 13% increase. Overall, employers, drivers, lawmakers and truck manufacturers should all work together to solve the problem. People’s lives are on the line.
