How do you drive into the rear of a truck?
On behalf of Steven Crell of Steve Crell Law posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, June 26, 2015.
Inattentive driving is a major cause of accidents. We are all becoming sadly familiar with the concept of distracted driving, with the distraction being caused by the use of cellphones, especially for texting.
This type of distraction has received a great deal of news coverage, because it is new and it is very distracting. Studies have shown that the debilitating effects of texting are similar to alcohol intoxication. For many, because of the ubiquity of cellphones and their omnipresence in their lives, they present an additional danger.
A crash last week near Indianapolis may have been the result of such unconscious use of a cellar device. A truck had broken down and was parked on the side of the ramp leading from I-65 to 465 southbound. It was a large semi-truck and the truck driver had taken the additional precaution to set out warning triangle behind his truck to alert other drivers that his truck was parked.
A driver of a pickup truck entered the ramp and apparently drove straight into the back end of the trailer. According to the Indiana State Police, there were no signs the driver attempted to use his brakes or swerve to avoid the trailer. He died at the crash site.
With a crash of this type, it is likely the police will subpoena the cellphone records, in an effort to determine if the driver was using his or her cellphone at the moment of impact.
Other potential causes could be a medical emergency or other distraction, such as spilling food or liquid, looking for something within the vehicle, looking the wrong direction at something distracting or even daydreaming.
When you are driving this summer, keep your attention focused on the road and conditions ahead, and put away the cellphone until you reach your destination, because if you are using it, you may never reach your destination.
Source: cbs4indy.com, “Man dies after crash pickup slams into semi on I-65 ram,” Matt Adams, June 16, 2015
