Driver Fatigue Determined to be the Cause of Fatal Tractor Trailer Accident
Back in 2005, a semi truck driver apparently was fatigued and fell asleep at the wheel causing an accident that resulted in several deaths and numerous serious injuries, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB's recent investigation revealed that the semi truck driver was tired due to lack of sleep during his off-duty hours, fell asleep while driving, drove off of the road and then overturned after over-correcting while trying to reenter the roadway. This is unfortunately a fairly common scenario when semi truck drivers are driving while fatigued. It is also a fairly common scenario when untrained and unskilled drivers depart from the roadway, hastily over-correct and dangerously attempt to get back on the road.
Five people were killed and thirty-five people were injured in the crash that resulted from the overturned semi truck. The NTSB found that driver fatigue was the probable cause of the crash. According to NTSB studies and statistics, driver fatigue is a factor in many semi truck crashes, and those numbers are growing.
The NTSB recommended several safety mechanisms to reduce these fatal and injury accidents involving semi truck drivers. Among them are: the installation of electronic stability control and active braking systems on semi trucks and fatigue education programs for semi truck drivers.
