Truck Accidents

There are many people in Syracuse who will work while tired. For most jobs, this isn’t a problem, but for some jobs, being tired can cause some very serious complications. No one wants, for example, a tired surgeon. One career that is particularly susceptible to fatigue is truck driving. It is also one position in which being tired is very dangerous.

Congress and the federal government recognize this and there are a number of rules in place to limit trucker fatigue. Just last year, the government mandated that truckers must take 34 hours off before starting a 70-hour work week. Moreover, the rules require the drivers to have two nights or rest each week. While studies have shown that this time off does a better job of reducing fatigue and increasing alertness, there are trucking companies and truckers who are fighting the regulations.

While it makes sense that truckers would want their flexibility when it comes to when they can work, they are not the only ones on the road. When they drive while tired, they are not just putting their lives at risk, but everyone’s on the road. They can cause extremely serious trucking accidents, severe injuries and death.

Most people in Utica don’t show up to work exhausted. There may be days here and there where someone will be a bit tired, but as the day progresses, he or she will find the energy to get through the day. Even for those people who are exhausted, their work is such that even if they dozed off on the job, they wouldn’t maim or kill anyone. For truck drivers, however, the story is quite different.

Just look at the news once in a while for the number of serious car accidents in upstate New York and imagine just how much more damage a semitrailer truck could cause if it smashed into a car. Truck accidents can cause severe and sometimes fatal injuries, so it is important that truck drivers do whatever they can to be awake, alert and focused while on the road. Even a bit of fatigue could be enough to cause a massive crash.

Fortunately, however, the federal government has changed the safety regulations governing truck drivers. While truckers will still be getting approximately 34 hours off every seven or eight days, the way in which they take that 34-hour break will be quite different. Previously, a driver could pull in a 5 a.m. and spend 34-hours resting, but because he or she would arrive home in the early morning, he or she would really only have one full night of sleep. With these new rules, drivers must have two night periods off, defined as 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Articles Posted in Truck Accidents

Government and safety organizations at odds over trucker fatigue

Are tired truckers causing serious accidents?