Driver Fatigue

Los Angeles Trucking Injury Lawyers

The main cause of trucking accidents is driver fatigue. If you have been seriously injured or a loved one has been killed in a trucking accident, an attorney experienced in complex trucking accident cases can help.

At Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C., we aggressively pursue driver fatigue cases. We believe that serious injury and fatal trucking accidents caused by driver fatigue are the result of negligent or reckless disregard for public safety. Contact a Los Angeles lawyer experienced with truck driver fatigue cases to recover the full compensation you and your family deserve.

In the most comprehensive over-the-road study ever conducted of commercial driver alertness, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that:

• Driver alertness and performance more consistently related to the time of day than to time-on-task, with drowsiness episodes eight times more likely between midnight and 6 a.m.
•  During their daily main sleep period, drivers slept for about five hours--two hours less than their "ideal" requirement.
• Drivers were inaccurately assessing their own levels of alertness.
• There were significant individual differences among drivers in levels of alertness and performance.

The need for more CMV/truck driver public rest areas. The study pointed to a significant shortage of rest area parking for commercial vehicles and drivers and revealed efforts to expand spaces at truck stops to meet this need. Partly in response to the study, about half of the country now permits CMV truck weigh stations not in use to remain open as rest areas.

Trailer configuration also was found to affect driver stress/fatigue as measured by lane keeping, driver subjective workload, and physiological state. Task demands were far greater with triple/A-dollies than with single trailers.

The study also investigated technological approaches to counteracting fatigue that will improve driver alertness and lower crash risk. Topics included improving sleep, monitoring operator alertness, alternative approaches to HOS (Hours of Service) regulation, and new methods and technologies in fatigue management.

A group also examined the prevalence of driver fatigue as a principal factor in local/short haul (LSH) versus over-the-road truck crashes. Not surprisingly, trip distance was found to have the greatest effect on the percentage of fatigue-related fatal crashes.

Contact an experienced truck driver fatigue lawyer at Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C. to schedule your initial consultation and case evaluation.

Source: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/topics/fatigue.htm