FHP Initiative Highlights Link Between Aggressive Driving And Truck Accidents

Through March 9 of this year, commercial vehicle enforcement troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol will be taking part in the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) campaigns.

Troopers will be on the lookout for aggressive driving behaviors including unsafe lane changes, speeding and following too closely. Time and again, our attorneys have seen this sort of driving lead to devastating accidents, especially when commercial vehicles are involved.

That's why commercial truck drivers are held to high legal standards. They're expected to drive sober and distraction-free, which should in theory cut down on aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors. But too often, the trucking companies prioritize profits over safety, leading to a high risk of serious truck accidents.

Log trucks are a particularly sobering example of aggressive driving

At the Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic, we've handled numerous tragic cases involving aggressive or otherwise hazardous truck drivers, including log truck drivers. Logging trucks seem to be involved in more than their share of these accidents for several reasons. They're often on the road early in the morning, driving at unsafe speeds in low-light conditions in order to be first in line when the mill opens - an issue compounded by the fact that logging trucks do not have as much lighting as other commercial trucks.

In other cases, log trucks will hurtle down back roads in order to avoid checkpoints and make illegal U-Turns - as in one case where we recovered $13 million for a victim who sustained a brain injury - and other dangerous, aggressive maneuvers when they are stopped. And because they're still motivated by profits even in bad weather, they take many of these aggressive maneuvers in darkness, rain or fog, adding to the danger.

None of these issues are unique to logging trucks, of course. Commercial truckers driving all sorts of vehicles are often under pressure to drive aggressively in order to meet unrealistic delivery schedules. They're also often fatigued, inexperienced or even under the influence of drugs or alcohol - all factors that can contribute to aggressive driving. And because of the sheer size of commercial trucks, the consequences can be catastrophic when they're involved in collisions.

Our firm applauds the efforts of the Florida Highway Patrol to crack down on aggressive driving and protect commercial drivers and private motorists alike. We believe that aggressive drivers are a significant danger on our roads, one that needs to be stopped - and when they cause injury, they need to be held accountable for their actions.