Missouri drivers may be more likely to get into an accident if they are driving trucks with defects or if they have been driving long hours. According to IIHS research, an accident is four times as likely to occur when a truck has a serious defect. A defect may include faulty brakes, poor quality tires or lights that don’t work properly. If a truck had faulty brakes, it was 50 percent more likely to be involved in an accident compared to a truck that did not have such an issue.
The short-haul exemption to hours-of-service regulations may put drivers at more of a risk for getting into an accident. Those who work fewer than 12 hours per day and who drive less than 100 miles from their main base may apply for such an exemption. Drivers who apply for this exemption may not make overnight trips. According to IIHS research, crashes involving large trucks were more likely to occur during the day and were likely to involve other vehicles.
There were 3,852 deaths in 2015 in accidents involving large trucks. Of those who were killed, 69 percent were occupants in a passenger vehicle. That compares to 16 percent who were in the trucks and 15 percent who were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists involved in a large truck accident.
A car accident victim may be able to pursue compensation for lost wages and other damages incurred if the driver who caused the crash was negligent. Negligence may occur if a driver was operating a faulty vehicle or was too tired to drive safely. Accident victims may be anyone struck by a vehicle, including passenger vehicle occupants, pedestrians or passengers in the truck that may have caused the crash to occur.
