Truck drivers are all too often involved in serious vehicle accidents. The size and weight of commercial trucks means that victims may be critically hurt. More research in recent years has focused on truck drivers and the best way to understand how to keep the roads safe.

 

The study, conducted by the University of Utah School of Medicine, identified that those truck drivers who have three or more medical issues could be facing much higher risks of being involved in a catastrophic accident. Keeping good healthcare and minimizing health issues can be challenging for truck drivers who have to frequently eat on the road, cope with stress and spend many hours sitting in the cab of their truck.  Although federal regulations govern how long truckers can spend driving and how much sleep they need to get between shifts, many drivers go through hundreds or thousands of miles in a week. This has a potential negative impact on their health, but it could also increase the chances of a serious accident. Drivers who are too tired to be behind the wheel or are distracted 

Although federal regulations govern how long truckers can spend driving and how much sleep they need to get between shifts, many drivers go through hundreds or thousands of miles in a week. This has a potential negative impact on their health, but it could also increase the chances of a serious accident. Drivers who are too tired to be behind the wheel or are distracted may cause major accidents and injuries. 

More than 50,000 commercial truck driver medical records were analyzed and poor driving performance was associated with connections to low back pain, diabetes, and heart disease. While one health condition could be manageable, multiple health conditions could substantially increase a driver’s chances of being involved in a catastrophic accident. Trucking accidents carry heavy damage risks and injury concerns as well for the victims involved.