Severe truck accidents can happen anywhere in Georgia, but due to heavily used routes such as Interstates 85, 75, 20, 16, and the I-285 Beltway, the Atlanta area has a high rate of truck accidents. These accidents often result in fatalities or severe physical injuries. You could file a lawsuit if the accident was not your fault. Visit https://atlinjurylawgroup.com/ to learn about what you can do to receive maximum compensation for your injuries.
Laws require trucking companies to maintain their vehicles in good condition and ensure that their drivers are qualified and licensed. Truck accidents occasionally happen, but the consequences can be devastating.
This blog will help you identify five steps a trucking company in Atlanta can take to reduce truck accidents.
1. Avoid Hiring Reckless Driver
One of the major causes of automobile accidents is distracted driving, and you can describe distracted driving as any activity that takes your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road.
Truck accidents often happen in Atlanta due to impaired driving. Therefore, the trucking firm has to hire a skilled driver. The trucking company should establish guidelines requiring drivers to focus on the road and avoid distractions like cell phones while driving.
2. Inspection Of the Truck Before and After Each Trip
Establish a strict procedure for checking the truck’s safety before getting behind the wheel. The trucking company must do pre-trip and post-trip inspections by the Department of Transportation, including a thorough inspection and an accurate record of any vehicle concerns.
The trucking company must guide them with safe driving programs. The company can save its driver’s future problems by tracking regular inspections and patterns timely.
3. Consistently Use Safe Loading and Unloading Techniques
A trucking company must use safe loading and unloading practices to protect their goods, other people, and the environment.
When entering or leaving their truck trailer, best practices dictate that they maintain three points of contact, including both hands and one foot or two feet and one hand. Always ensure their load is securely fastened during loading and unloading, and don’t leave the dock until they’re sure unloading is complete.
4. Provide Guidance on Defensive Driving
The trucking company must provide a constant awareness of potential hazards and changing traffic patterns to their truck drivers. In this way, they will be familiar with how to drive in potentially dangerous situations and make wise decisions while driving. This technique can reduce the chances of an accident.
By using defensive driving practices, the trucking company can reduce its risk of getting into or starting an accident. Avoiding a collision will save the company money on costly repairs and insurance claims.
5. Give Breaks Before Going for Long Journey
Taking a break at work is occasionally required, and truck drivers are no exception. Since long hours of driving tire the driver, the trucking firm should establish a policy that requires drivers to take breaks. So, before continuing the long journey, the trucking firm must give them respite. For example, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires a minimum of a 30-minute break after eight hours of non-stop driving.
Conclusion
Following these simple guidelines will help guarantee that you and those around you stay safe while navigating the busy highways in Atlanta, Georgia! Staying safe while driving around trucks creates alertness and concern for other drivers on the road. All those who use our roadways will be safer if we keep these principles in mind!