Legal - Legal Services
Truck Drivers Can Get Road Rage,
Too
Road rage afflicts truck drivers, too, and victims of such
behavior must know their rights. Although you might not
attribute road rage to a professional driver, it happens more
frequently than you might imagine. If you were ever a victim of
road rage, you understand how frustrating and oftentimes
frightening it is. When you're faced with road rage from the
driver of a vehicle ten times the size of your own, the
conditions grow even more dangerous.
Road rage is understood as a marked impatience demonstrated by
erratic and sometimes reckless driving that endangers innocent
lives. The U.S. National Library of Medicine defines it as
afflicting one-third of American drivers. According to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, trucks that
collide with passengers in automobiles due to road rage cause
hundreds of casualties. A recent study reported that hundreds
of people have died as a result of truck drivers striking
them.
While road rage can include many behaviors, common acts by
drivers with road rage include:
Intentionally hitting a vehicle with a car
Running someone off the road
Pulling over, getting out, and engaging in a physical
confrontation
Inciting passenger(s) to threaten or fight the other driver
Using any sort of weapon to inflict harm on another driver or
vehicle
Road Rage Affects Many Drivers on the Road
According to the National Safety Council, motorists rate road
rage as a top threat to highway safety. Researchers say that
young men are most predisposed to road rage. They also tell us
that while many drivers with road rage fit this profile, women
and older drivers inflict road rage. Drivers who use drugs,
prescription medications, or who suffer from panic disorders
are more prone to road rage. Drivers of different types of
vehicles, men and women, healthy and unhealthy, all are
susceptible to this behavior.
Risky Driving Increases the Risk of Injury and Fatality in
Accidents Involving Trucks
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, risky driving includes driving while drunk or
on drugs, distracted, not wearing a seatbelt, speeding, or
other reckless behaviors. Speeding endangers everyone on the
road, killing 9,557 persons in 2015. Road rage combines
speeding with a risky state of mind, where the driver's anger
gives way to dangerous acts. Truck drivers make up a
demographic that fails to curb all forms of risky driving, and
thereby they can endanger national highway safety.
Unfortunately, truck drivers are prone to the same vices as
other drivers, especially in traffic, including speeding up
excessively before quickly coming to a halt, tailing other
drivers, and getting out of vehicles and entering into verbal
altercations on the road, to name the most egregious
examples.
Compensation for Truck Accidents Due to Road
Rage
To compensate people whom truck drivers with road rage
seriously injured or killed, and to deter future harm caused by
road rage, Texas law awards money for victims. Our team of
attorneys has represented the rights of clients injured in
aggressive driving accidents, as well as the families of those
who did not survive their truck accidents. At Stewart J. Guss,
Attorney at Law, we are in business to help victims by using
the fullest extent of the law to the best of our abilities.
Guidelines for Safe Truck Driving May Help Reduce Lives Lost in
Road Rage Accidents
Many trucking companies advise truck drivers to take safety
precautions when they encounter troublesome situations along
their routes. Truck drivers who avoid stress on the road make
the road safer for all drivers. Although truck drivers receive
these tips, the casual driver could benefit from following this
advice.
Back off of aggressive drivers
Leave plenty of time to get to your destination
Focus on getting out of traffic when possible
Breathe and employ other techniques to remain calm
Practicing mindfulness while driving not only decreases the
chances of devastating collisions, but also helps drivers
better cope with the ups and downs of life on the road. Many
truck drivers can alter their approaches to driving to prevent
aggressive emotions that may give way to road rage. Truck
drivers should remember to:
Get plenty of sleep and rest
Plan ahead and take ample time
Avoid listening to overly loud or aggressive music
Find ways to remain relaxed behind the wheel
Realize you cannot control many traffic or road conditions
Practice anger management techniques and realize the dangers of
hostility on the road
Know All of the Facts Surrounding a Truck
Accident
Road rage can result in deadly accidents, especially when the
aggressive vehicle is the size of a semi-truck. Regardless of
the level of damage from an accident involving road rage, you
may hold the at-fault driver responsible. At the law office of
Stewart J. Guss, we deal with many accident cases involving
truck drivers exhibiting road rage. When you face a situation
in which a truck driver displayed signs of road rage that led
to an accident, get an experienced legal team on your side. Our
firm has seen the damage that road raging truck drivers can
cause. We also know that drivers of high-capacity vehicles such
as trucks have a greater responsibility for keeping the public
safe. For this reason, we hold truck drivers accountable for
lapses in professional judgment that put the lives of other
drivers and their passengers at risk.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer Today to Discuss Your
Case
If you were involved in an accident, speak to a Houston
personal injury lawyer as soon as you can. To schedule a free
case evaluation with the attorneys of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney
at Law, call today at (713) 766-5883 or send us an email
through our online contact form.