Speeding Truck Drivers, A Serious Danger On El Paso Roads

We all know that truck drivers have a stressful job. Trucking companies often put a lot of pressure on their drivers to deliver consumer goods as quickly as possible. However, that doesn’t change the reality that these massive vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and if a single crash occurs, it can be devastating to all road users.

While exceeding the speed limit may be attributed to the pressures that come with the job, an annual survey released in 2018 by SmartDrive identifies other factors that can cause a truck driver to speed.

The cause and effect of speeding

The survey examined four categories of speeding through video events and divided truckers’ speeds by the number of miles traveled. The four categories included:

Drivers exceeded the trucking company’s speed limit for three seconds.
Drivers exceeded the posted speed limit by no more than 10 mph for three seconds.
Drivers exceeded the posted speed limit by more than 11 mph for three seconds.
Drivers traveled at 85 mph or more for 10 seconds.

According to the survey, truck drivers who exceed the speed limit are at a higher risk of making errors in judgment than other drivers in the following areas:

Collision avoidance: Truck drivers involved in collisions exceeded the speed limit by more than 10 mph at a rate of around 69 percent more than other drivers. The rate for truckers who exceeded the speed limit by no more than 10 mph was 45 percent. Additionally, trucker drivers who exceed the speed limit are about 45 percent more likely to be involved in near collisions.
Vehicle control: Trucker drivers who exceed the speed limit are less likely to have full control of their vehicles. The survey found that they are 272 percent more likely to drive without either of their hands on the steering wheel, 169 percent more likely to straddle lanes, 152 percent to change lanes or pass dangerously, 100 percent more likely to make unsafe turns, 59 percent more likely to back up negligently, and 53 percent more likely to brake unsafely.
Following distance: Truck drivers who speed are three times more likely than other drivers to follow other vehicles at an unsafe distance.
Stopping at stop signs and traffic lights: Speeding truck drivers are 156 percent more likely to disregard stop signs, 111 percent more likely to make incomplete stops at stop signs, 110 percent more likely to make incomplete stops at traffic lights, and 104 percent more likely to disregard traffic lights.
Distraction: Speeding truck drivers are more than 2.5 times more likely to be engaged in distracted driving than other drivers.

Holding negligent truck drivers accountable

In truck accidents caused by speeding, evidence can often be found through electronic logging devices (ELDs) and telematics systems.

At the Law Offices of Michael J. Gopin, PLLC, we have seen how devastating a truck accident caused by speeding can be to crash victims and their families in El Paso. Lives can be changed in an instant. Injured motorists may spend months in recovery and away from work – unable to collect a paycheck and make ends meet.

That’s not right. If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, don’t try to handle your claim alone. We’ll investigate the cause of your crash and fight to hold negligent truck drivers, and their companies accountable.

Michael J. Gopin

Michael J. Gopin has practiced law in El Paso since 1987. Even after more than 30 years, he still remembers his first jury case. It was two weeks after receiving his license, when he represented a person whose life had been forever changed after being blinded in a work-related incident...