Corpus Christi Law Blog

A study conducted by Volvo and The Harris Poll made some interesting findings regarding distracted driving. Texas drivers should know that the number one distraction for people behind the wheel is mobile devices. The people who admit to using their phones while driving, though, fall unexpectedly into several groups.

Specifically, Gen Xers are tied with Millennials as the most likely to use their phones while driving with 81 percent of those surveyed admitting it. Among members of Generation Z, 71 percent admitted using their phones while driving. Baby boomers were divided into two groups with 64 percent of older boomers and 72 percent of younger boomers admitting to using their phones while driving.

Drowsy driving can be one of the most common and deadly dangers to face motorists on Texas roadways. Whether people are returning home from a long day of work or simply dealing with a poor night's sleep, fatigued driving occurs all too frequently. One report by the American Automobile Association noted that the number of crashes involving drowsiness could be eight times higher than official estimates suggest. In addition, another survey showed that 60 percent of American adults admitted to driving while sleepy and a full 37 percent of respondents said that they had fallen asleep behind the wheel at least once.

Yet another poll found that 3 percent of Americans admitted that they had fallen asleep while operating a vehicle in the two-week period preceding the survey. While drowsy driving may be common, it can also be severely dangerous. When people drive while drowsy, they are at a far greater risk of causing serious car accidents. Drowsy drivers have slow reaction times and impaired decision-making abilities, especially in emergency situations. In fact, sleepy driving has often been compared to drunk driving in terms of the effect on the body.

Commercial truckers in Texas who work long hours probably know that they are at risk for drowsy driving. What they might not know is that the risk for a fatigue-related crash increases the farther away they are from rest areas. This is according to a recent study completed by the University of Kentucky.

Researchers studied crash data in Kentucky from 2005 to 2014, analyzing those interstates and parkways that have at least a single rest area, weigh station with a rest haven or truck stop designated by the National Truck Network. There were 7,538 incidents where the trucker was at fault, and among those, 284 involved fatigue.

In Texas and across the country, truck braking violations can pose a severe danger to truck drivers and others on the road. When the brakes on large trucks and commercial vehicles are improperly maintained, it can become difficult or impossible for a driver to correctly stop their vehicle, especially in slippery conditions or emergency situations. The effects of a large, unstoppable truck can be catastrophic given the size and weight of the vehicles involved. This is one reason that the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is conducting its annual Brake Safety Week between September 16 and 22.

In 2017, the CVSA had reduced the brake safety event to a one-day initiative, but after 14 percent of all trucks inspected were required to be taken off the roads due to brake maintenance violations, the event has returned to its week-long status. During the safety initiative, inspections of trucks on the roads will be ramped up. In general, these will be comprehensive Level I inspections, but truck inspectors will have a particular focus on brake components that could be poorly maintained.