Truck “Backing-Up” Accidents – Can We Reduce Them?

You’ve likely heard the piercing “beep beep beep” and seen flashing lights as a semi-truck has shifted into reverse to back into a loading dock or parking lot. You may also have noticed how difficult and dangerous it looks when a truck driver performs this maneuver, with limited visibility and space.

Sometimes, these trucks may come a little too close for comfort or even cause an accident, by colliding with or backing over a smaller vehicle or pedestrian. A tractor-trailer doesn’t have to be traveling at highway speed – or even local road speed – to cause damage to your car and serious injury to you and your passengers.

Semi-trucks are huge and unwieldy and, when driven by someone untrained or careless, can put other motorists or pedestrians in danger. Especially when attempting to operate these trucks in tight spaces like loading docks or narrow city streets, truckers must be 100% aware of their surroundings when backing up.

About backing-up accidents

Of course, everyone should take extreme caution when putting a vehicle in reverse, whether they’re in a car or a truck. However, that caution is even more crucial for truckers, as their vehicles are massive in comparison to other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

When a driver focuses only on one of their mirrors, they’re not doing their entire job. One mirror doesn’t provide coverage for the entire truck, and certainly not the rear. The back of a tractor-trailer is always obscured, but if a driver pays proper attention to both mirrors (and any rear-view safety technology in the cab), they should have a more complete picture of what’s happening behind the trailer.

In these types of accidents, attorneys often discover that they happened due to negligence. Truck drivers have a responsibility to ensure their path is clear before backing up their vehicle. This can mean anything from getting out of the vehicle to check, using a spotter, or even putting out traffic cones to indicate they’ll be moving a large vehicle and to avoid the area.

All trucks should also be outfitted with back up beepers, lights, and other safety equipment to make it clear to other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists when the truck is about to go in reverse.

Failing to perform or have any of these safety measures can result in tragic accidents.

Reducing truck accidents with e-Learning

One trucking company is addressing the backing-up accident issue with online learning technology. With more than 200 drivers, the trucking fleet RBX was looking for a way to efficiently train everyone in reversing their rigs.

By using e-Learning, RBX’s drivers are able to take the course online, as well as refreshers for experienced drivers, to learn best practices for backing up. And, the initiative has been successful, with an eight percent reduction in backing-up accidents after only six months. “We expect to see a cycle of continuous improvement as more drivers get comfortable with using online training and take more courses,”  said Jon Peavey, vice president of operations for the carrier.

At Taylor Ring, if you were injured by a tractor-trailer or semi-truck, we can help. Our Los Angeles attorneys are prepared to go up against big trucking companies to fight for the compensation you’re owed when hurt in an accident that wasn’t your fault. Call us today at 310.776.6390 or complete our contact form to schedule a consultation.