Verizon Connect, the fleet management systems provider, has analyzed the behavior of commercial motor vehicle drivers and other work truck drivers from more than 6,200 of its fleet customers. These small and midsize businesses carried anywhere from two to 200 fleet vehicles, including CMVs, pick-ups and light vans. Georgia residents will find out from this study which states are safe and which are dangerous for trucking.
The factors that Verizon took into account included fatalities per vehicle miles traveled as well as average speeding events per day and per mile. It turns out that the safest states for truck driving are Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, followed by Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and New Hampshire. The most dangerous states were located in the South and Midwest.
Verizon ranked the states based on unsafe habits like “lead foot” (Vermont had the fewest instances of it), speeding (South and North Dakota being the worst) and harsh acceleration and cornering. Another company held a month-long contest asking truck drivers to respond with particular safety concerns. Many truckers complained about vehicles cutting them off, providing them with little stopping distance, speeding and not slowing down when passing disabled trucks. They also expressed their concern about fatigued driving and texting, even from fellow truckers.
With so many safety concerns and so many ways that a trucking accident can arise, victims will want to have their case thoroughly investigated before they consider filing a claim. A lawyer could evaluate the claim and bring in third-party professionals to determine the party or parties that should bear responsibility.
