There is nothing wrong with doing all you could to earn a good living. For a truck driver and the trucking industry in general, this means working hard to move goods from location to location.
But there is a center line that does not need to be crossed. And it is where business and financial goals start to infringe on the safety of other truck drivers and passengers on the roads and highways.
Why Is Sleepy Driving A Legal Liability?
Sleepy driving is a legal liability because it is a form of negligence, defined as the failure to use great care and this causes injury or death to another person. California imposes legal liability on drivers who cause truck accidents due to negligent driving.
Both truck drivers and their employers haul an unbelievable amount of freight from one part of the United States to another every year. The United States transportation system is the largest in the world and moves billions of tons of goods annually. By virtue of just the sheer number of miles that are traveled, apart from sleepy driving, we should expect to see a fair number of crashes and accidents.
And it should be said that without truck drivers and all the other people who work in the industry to support the United States transportation system, we would find ourselves in a bit of a pickle in regards to getting our smartphones and other consumer goods, as well as the needs such as fruits and vegetables. The transportation industry itself is also not to blame, but is generally accountable for personal injury and wrongful death when this happens.
Drowsy driving is nodding off behind the wheel for a second or even falling completely asleep for longer than that. It is a clear form of negligence where the truck driver does not take good care while driving and fails to help ensure the safety of other motorists on the roads and highways.
The truck driver is far too tired to be driving. Just like other forms of negligent truck driving on the road, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or texting while behind the wheel rather than focusing your attention to the road, drowsy driving is a legal liability because it could result directly in an otherwise preventable crash.
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What Can Businesses Do To Help Prevent Drowsy Driving For Truck Drivers?
Businesses could take a few steps to help prevent drowsy driving for their truck drivers. These steps unfortunately are often not taken or simply ignored, whether in the name of adding more to the bottom line or because of the status quo in handling how the company has always done things.
Do you have a question about drowsy driving? Click here to contact Fleet Oil and Truck Supply today!
Courtesy of Cuselleration