With the rise of Amazon and other e-commerce sites over the years, online shopping is the way of the world. That means countless delivery trucks on the road making rounds and dropping off our packages. More delivery vehicles means a higher chance of delivery truck accidents. Thankfully the Walnut Creek, CA lawyers of Bowles & Verna LLP can help.
Attorneys Richard T. Bowles and Michael P. Verna would like to consider some facts and issues surrounding delivery truck crashes. This should help you understand the dangers out there on the road as well as your legal options if you are involved in a collision.
Why Delivery Truck Collisions Happen
There are numerous reasons why delivery truck crashes may happen. These include:
- Blindspots – Whether it’s the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS, or FedEx, their delivery vehicles are quite large. As a result, these vehicles tend to have major blindspots around and behind them.
- Driver Fatigue – Package delivery drivers work long hours behind the wheel and carrying packages. That can cause the driver to feel tired or sleepy during their drives, which could lead to a collision.
- Issues with the Vehicle – The fleets of delivery vehicles need to be properly maintained all year round given the amount of time they spend on the road. Problems with the brakes, steering, or other essential systems could make crashes more likely.
- Poor Weather – Rain, snow, sleet, and hail may not stop postal workers from making their appointed rounds, but it sure can make the task much more difficult and dangerous.
- Bad Road Conditions – Potholes, tight turns, and malfunctioning traffic lights impact all motorists and make roads far less safe.
Are There Numbers on Delivery Truck Crashes?
While no committed government study has compiled numbers of parcel and delivery truck collisions, our Walnut Creek attorneys have been able to find figures on delivery truck fleets that are illuminating. We will keep an eye out for mail delivery truck crash statistics and share them in the future.
According to 2018 numbers from the USPS, there were 232,372 USPS delivery vehicles that traveled 231,843 routes to deliver packages and pieces of mail.
According to an article in Automotive Fleet, UPS had a fleet of 119,000 delivery vehicles in 2017. At the time of that 2018 article, UPS averaged 8.95 truck accidents for every 100,000 hours of driving.
Negligence on the Part of the Delivery Driver
When a delivery truck accident happens, it could be due to negligence on the part of the driver. In these cases, the crash was likely caused by driver inattention, fatigue, speeding, reckless behaviors behind the wheel, and so forth.
Negligence on the Part of the Company Employing the Driver
It’s also possible that a crash is the result of negligence on the part of the delivery company. In such instances, the company may have hired a driver who has a record of accidents and moving violations. The company may also have issues with poor vehicle maintenance, and outdated fleet of vehicles, and even overworking their drivers to a point of exhaustion.
Speak with Our Team of Accident Attorneys
If you live in Walnut Creek and have been injured in a collision with a delivery vehicle, be sure to contact our skilled truck accident lawyers. The team at Bowles & Verna LLP can be reached by phone at (925) 935-3300.