Stopping distance refers to the distance that a tractor-trailer or other vehicle must travel from the moment that the driver hits the brakes to the moment when the vehicle reaches a full stop. Since trucks are larger and heavier than passenger cars, they sometimes need twice the distance as passenger cars to come to a full stop. When sharing the road with passenger vehicles and other drivers, truck drivers need to keep their larger stopping distance in mind in order to prevent a rear end crash or other collision. When mechanical failure or truck driver negligence results in a slow application of brakes, serious collisions are often the result. In Tamarac and across Florida, stopping distance issues and brake issues result in many preventable collisions.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle crash, the attorneys of Flaxman Law Group can investigate your situation to find out whether stopping distance played a role in your collision. If you have been injured, do not hesitate to contact our law firm to find out what can be done in your case. Our team works with accident reconstruction experts, investigators, medical experts, and other professionals to find out what options exist and to build strong cases on behalf of clients. Your first consultation with us is free and comes with no obligation, so do not hesitate to contact us if you have legal questions about your injuries.
Driver Training in Tamarac and Stopping Distance Collisions: Is There a Connection?Truck drivers are expected to know how and when to apply brakes correctly and are expected to know their truck’s specific braking system. Commercial truck drivers get additional training and must pass stricter licensing requirements than passenger car drivers, in part because drivers of big rigs and tractor-trailers operate heavy machinery they can become extremely dangerous if it is ever in a traffic collision.
Driver undertraining is considered a part of stopping distance issues in some cases because collisions caused by incorrect braking sometimes do come down to driver error or driver under-qualification. If a driver does not receive adequate instruction, he or she may simply not know how to brake correctly or how to stop in time to prevent a crash.
Who is Liable in Your Case?Truck drivers are expected to brake correctly and to get the training they need to stay safe on the road. If a truck driver does not get adequate training and driver undertraining results in a collision, the truck driver or trucking company that hired the driver may be held partly liable for the collision, even if stopping distance or brake situations were part of the problem.
If you have been injured in a trucking collision caused by stopping distance issues, please contact Flaxman Law Group to see how our law firm can help you. Our team in South Florida has already helped thousands of personal injury victims. We would be happy to meet with you in a free accident consultation to find out what options exist for you and your family.