The local media in Charlotte NC reports that there have been a higher number of tractor trailer crashes within city limits in 2016. Some of the cargo that have been spilled on local roads by big rigs include potatoes, paint and bees. Many of the crashes have caused injuries, not to mention major backups in this booming, large city. 

The North Carolina Highway Patrol has confirmed that there has been an uptick of tractor trailer crashes; from December to May, there were 403 commercial vehicle wrecks in Mecklenburg County, home of the city of Charlotte. In the same time period, there were 373 in 2015.

While it is not known why there have been more crashes, the highway patrol did note that there have been more crashes late at night involving truckers who fell asleep behind the wheel.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol cautioned truck drivers to make sure that they get enough sleep and are fit to drive. They added that the highway patrol will hire 187 more state troopers to patrol the state, with seven or eight troopers slated to be added to Mecklenburg County.

Our View

Our truck crash injury attorneys are pleased that the North Carolina Highway Patrol is adding more troopers to beef up their presence on North Carolina highways. Truck crashes are usually very serious and cause terrible injuries and death. It is really important that truckers be certain that they have enough rest before they drive so they avoid these accidents.

Some of the reasons we have seen that truckers fall asleep behind the wheel and cause accidents include:

• Truckers work at night. Most truck crashes happen at night and drivers fall asleep. They often drive at night to meet deadlines and get more miles driven in less traffic.
• Truckers drive 11 hours or more each day. There are now strict federal rules about how much they can drive per day, but some drivers do not follow the rules.
• Interstates lack rest stops: One of the challenges of a big rig is that there are limited places where such a large vehicle can pull over safely and legally.
• Truckers lie in their logbooks: It is still too easy to lie in logbooks and claim you drove less than you really did.

Truckers who fail to drive safely and fall asleep behind the wheel cause terrible crashes, so we hope that all truck drivers will do their best to stay awake and alert when they drive. If not, they can end up going to jail for hurting others, and be sued for millions of dollars.