In an attempt to reduce distracted driving issues for truckers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates the use of mobile phones, but it does not clearly regulate other activities that can take truckers’ minds off the road and hands off the wheel. Whether they drive in heavy L.A. traffic or on the open road, however, just about any Los Angeles accident lawyer can point to unusual trucker distractions that lead to serious accidents.

Long-Haul Truckers Have Personal Lives, Too

Even truck drivers who get to go home after their daily shifts spend enough time behind the wheel to look for ways to accomplish tasks that office workers and others take for granted. These needs are greatly compounded for long-haul drivers who can spend days or even weeks at a time on the road. While both types of drivers are likely to make use of their cell phones or even eat meals while driving, long-haul drivers sometimes do much more just to meet their basic needs.

The FMCSA warns drivers to avoid distracted driving behaviors while driving, such as the following:

• Becoming distracted by objects outside of their trucks
• Avoid texting or dialing handheld phones, which are illegal activities
• Using dispatching devices
• Reading, writing or using paper maps
• Eating and drinking

This is solid advice, but it does not account for the full range of possible driver activities, especially when deadlines and other concerns keep them on the road when personal needs may merit a stop. Just last year, a truck driver veered off the road and caused a major backup on an Alabama freeway when he pulled a tooth while he was behind the wheel.

Activities like these add risk to every motorist sharing the road with these 80,000-pound vehicles; but, truckers may believe that years of driving experience give them the skills to handle more distractions than the average driver.

Motorists Cannot See Distracted Driving Activities By Looking Into a Semi's Cab Window

In many cases, motorists can actually witness distracted driving activities simply by peering into the windows of other small vehicles or noticing swerving or other signs that they should keep a distance. Even though the likelihood of injury is greater in accidents involving massive commercial trucks, the signs of distracted driving are far less clear. The driver’s window is too high to expose activities in the cab, and swerving trailers are normal enough that they do not generally arouse suspicion.

When trucker distractions cause accidents, severely-injured victims may have less evidence of liability at the time of the incident. The attorneys at The Rudman Law Firm understand the intricacies of these legal cases and have the resources needed to conduct thorough investigations, particularly when liability for an accident seems initially unclear. Before walking away from vital legal rights, call us at (844) 478-3626 / (844) 4RUDMAN, at our Los Angeles office at (213) 375-3777 or at our Studio City office (818) 769-6969.