The trucking industry is infamous for its high rate of collisions and injuries. In 2023, 4,807 people across America people died in collisions involving large trucks. Data continues to indicate a consistent rise in the number of deadly truck crashes occurring in America. Many of these collisions are the result of an improper lane change or failure to yield the right of way to traffic. Tractor-trailers are over 70 feet long and over 8 feet wide, which leaves very little room for error on the roads that they share with passenger cars.
What Are the Requirements Over Truck Drivers?
Trucks need extra space and time to avoid dangerous lane changes. This is one of the most dangerous maneuvers that a truck driver can execute because of the risk of running a passenger car off the road. The risk of catastrophic injuries and fatalities is heightened with the increased weight and length of the truck.
State and federal law, along with industry standards, require that truck drivers do several things to make sure that they make a safe lane change. The truck driver must:
• Check mirrors to make sure no one is alongside them or about to pass them
• Ensure there is enough room to make a lane change
• Signal for at least 5 seconds before starting to make the lane change
• Continuously monitor the sides, rear, and front of the truck while changing lanes.
Truck drivers should know that they have blind spots and how to account for them. Regardless, due to the advent of modern collision avoidance systems, the excuse that “he was in my blind spot” is now a thing of the past.
Truck drivers are also required to be aware of any specific dangers or hazards that would make a lane change more difficult. Things like carrying a heavier load of cargo, areas in the road that require more attention, dark conditions, or poor weather. These can play a role in the failure to identify and avoid passenger vehicles when making a lane change, and CDL truck drivers are required to operate with a heightened level of caution in these circumstances.
Despite this, South Carolina Code Section 56-5-1900 requires that truck drivers stay in their lane and that trucks “shall not be moved from the lane until the driver has first ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.” Many truck drivers are guilty of this offense every day.
Ready To Consult With a Personal Injury Lawyer? Contact Us
Our firm has handled several cases involving dangerous lane changes. In many of our cases, the truck driver was ticketed for an improper lane change, but the trucking company denied responsibility anyway. If you have been the unfortunate victim of a trucking accident, you are probably aware that the trucking company and its insurance provider are doing everything they can to avoid taking responsibility for the damage. This is so they don’t have to compensate you. Call us today 864-808-1810.
