Commercial motor vehicle drivers need to follow traffic laws in order to avoid causing a crash. Considering how heavy, slow-moving and poorly maneuvering and dangerous big truck are, it is especially important for truck drivers to follow the law. Indeed, truck drivers have a moral and legal duty to be as safe as possible on the road in order to prevent catastrophic injuries and deaths in a truck accident.

According to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, speeding violations are a particularly important area for truck drivers and passenger drivers alike to focus on. During a fall enforcement campaign last year, for example, police pulled over 19,657 drivers in the United States.

The campaign aimed to zero in on unsafe driving behaviors such as: not using seatbelts, speeding, not obeying traffic devices, distracted driving, tailgating and improper lane changes. More than 50 percent of the citations and warnings related to moving violations. Speeding violations represented approximately 20 percent of the citations and warnings. Seatbelt violations accounted for about 7.1 percent of the citations and warnings.

The violations of truck drivers in particular were as follows:

— 56.7 percent were for local and state moving violations

— 19.6 percent were for speeding

— 7.6 percent were for not obeying a traffic device

— 7.1 percent were for not using a seatbelt

— 2.4 percent were for using a cellphone

Have you been hurt or injured in a truck-related accident? Truck accidents have different laws and legal standards that apply to them. A lawyer can assist you in evaluating whether you may have a viable claim to seek compensation for financial damages in court.

Source: Landline, “Operation Safe Driver 2016: Moving violations, speeding top list of violations,” accessed March 24, 2017