Truck Accidents Caused by Unsafe Lane Changes in Albuquerque

Truck accidents caused by unsafe lane changes in Albuquerque can seriously injure people and cause complex liability. These crashes with commercial vehicles often happen because of truck driver negligence.

If you or someone you care about has been injured in any kind of truck accident, you will need trusted legal help on your side. Talk about your claim with an experienced truck accident attorney at NMAF today.

Truck Drivers and Federal Safety Standards

Truck drivers are professional drivers, and as a result, they are held to more careful safety standards. This includes carrying a commercial driver’s license and following all state and federal regulations. It is important for truck drivers to follow all the rules of the road, including the guidelines that determine when it is safe to change lanes in Albuquerque, to help prevent accidents.

Changing Lanes Safely Involves Yielding the Right-of-Way

When a trucker or any other motorist remains in their lane, they maintain the right-of-way, except in emergency situations. However, before leaving their lane for any reason, they must ensure that it is safe to pass another driver, make a left or right turn, or exit the roadway.

Truck drivers must check their mirrors and their blind spots before changing lanes to ensure there is enough room beside them for their large trucks. Additional requirements include signaling and proceeding with caution rather than quickly weaving from lane to lane. Failure to take any of the necessary precautions when changing lanes can lead to life-threatening truck accidents in Albuquerque.

Trucker’s Blind Spots

The blind spots that truckers experience are of special concern when it comes to unsafe lane changes. These blind spots stretch across all four sides of their rigs.

To change lanes safely, truckers must carefully assess their blind spots in whatever direction they are moving on Albuquerque roads to help avoid crashes. Failure to do so puts anyone traveling in that area at a high risk of a collision and injuries.

Common Causes of Unsafe Lane-Change Accidents

Unsafe lane-change accidents involving trucks in Albuquerque are often the result of truck driver negligence, which can take many dangerous forms.

Distracted Driving

When a trucker is distracted while driving, they greatly increase the chances that accidents will ensue. While any number of distractions can arise, texting requires one’s hands, thoughts, and sight and is considered the most risky of all.

Impaired Driving

The law has low tolerance for impaired truck drivers. Alcohol tends to diminish inhibition, impulse control, and decision-making abilities. This leaves truck drivers more likely to change lanes when it is not safe to do so.

Speeding or Driving Too Fast for Conditions

When truckers speed or drive too fast in relation to the road’s condition, they increase the risk that they will cause accidents and that these accidents will be deadly. Truck drivers require longer stopping distances. When a trucker comes up too quickly on a forward vehicle, changing lanes is sometimes the only option, but changing lanes safely may not be possible.

Fatigued Driving

Truck drivers are vulnerable to exhaustion while driving, and this is especially true for those who ignore the federal hours-of-service regulations. Drowsy driving is associated with some of the same impairments caused by alcohol, which means it can be the underlying cause of unsafe lane-change accidents.

Contact an Experienced Albuquerque Attorney for Help With Your Truck Crash From an Unsafe Lane Change

Truck accidents caused by unsafe lane changes in Albuquerque happen frequently. If you are the victim of this type of dangerous accident, the dedicated attorneys at NMAF are on your side. We have earned an excellent reputation for successfully guiding complex truck accident claims toward beneficial resolutions, and we appreciate the opportunity to also help you. Learn more by contacting us online or giving us a call today.