Pleasanton Truck Accident Attorneys
Pleasanton Truck Accident Information
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other auto groups famously report that truck accidents take the lives of over 5,000 people on US roads every year. Indeed, 1 out of every 8 people who will die in a traffic accident this year will die in a truck accident. This averages out to 1 death every 16 minutes. Studies show that around 500,000 truck accidents happen every year.
Given all the recent advances in safety technology, such as ABS and computer guidance systems, you might expect that truck accidents would be on the decline. Unfortunately, advances in automotive safety technology counterintuitively do not appear to lead to safer road conditions.
In his groundbreaking book on American transportation, Traffic, author and journalist Tom Vanderbilt discussed how this phenomenon -- proliferation of better safety features failing to reduce the numbers of truck accidents -- might have come about. He argues that, when technologies like airbags, automatic braking systems, and automatic stability control entered the market, drivers began to feel safer on the road. They trusted their vehicles more. And, as a result of this trust, they tended to take more risks.
For instance, say a trucker gets a new rig that comes with a special advanced antilock braking system. Whereas before, he might leave a "space cushion" between his truck and the car in front of him of two seconds; now, he only leaves a one-second-and-three-quarters space cushion because he has faith that his souped-up braking system will protect him from accidents. Sadly, this extra risk taking nullifies the advantage of the extra safety features.
This interesting phenomenon illustrates nicely how something as seemingly straightforward as a truck accident can lead to great complications and surprising conclusions.
For instance, say a speeding trucker plowed into your family's minivan while you were heading up to wine country in Northern California. Your first instinct might be to blame the trucker for being negligent or for chatting on his cell phone when he should have been paying attention to the road. And you might be right.
But a deeper investigation of the accident may show that the trucker did try to slam on the brakes but failed to slow himself down enough because the brakes malfunctioned. In other words, not only might the trucker have been culpable for what happened to you, but the repair shop that serviced the truck weeks before the crash might also have been culpable. A good Pleasanton big rig accident attorney will really look into the details of your crash to try to find information like this to potentially hold multiple parties liable for things like your injuries, pain and suffering, and other damages.
If you need immediate assistance with Pleasanton truck accident legal help, connect with a skilled Pleasanton trucking accident lawyer at Van Der Walde & Associates at www.vanderwalde.com or 877-862-6288.
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