Causes of accidents in freight transport

Speed

Driving at an inappropriate speed is one of the main causes of accidents. Although, as expected, heavy vehicles comply with speed limits more than light vehicles, this factor is still present in many accidents.

Fatigue

Although control measures have greatly improved over years ago, the fatigue of the driver remains one of the great enemies of the transport sector. As is well known by all, the reflexes of a fatigued driver decrease, and the risk of being able to have an accident increases.

Drugs and alcohol

Despite the fact that, as is the case with other causes listed, the situation has fortunately improved a lot over the years because many penalties and corrective measures have been taken in this regard, drugs, and alcohol still appear as the cause of some car accidents. traffic.

Distraction

Distraction appears as a concurrent factor in 38% of accidents with victims. Currently, there are different corrective measures such as rest since fatigue and distraction are two factors that often go hand in hand, and other more techniques such as front display screens.

Offenses

According to the study The Road Accidents. Spain 2013 of the 45,067 drivers involved in a traffic accident identified in the driver database (42,623) the following information is obtained: 5,111 drivers (12%) had committed an offense with the loss of points in 2013 and were 2,947 repeat offenders (6.9%). These figures are higher than those observed in the general population, in which the proportion of offenders in 2013 was 4.6% and that of repeat offenders 2.2%. We see, therefore, that many infractions are still being committed on the road.

Vehicle age

The age of the vehicle and its maintenance also plays a major role in traffic accidents. According to the aforementioned study, “both the death rate and the serious injury rate show a positive correlation with the age of tourism on all types of roads.”

Load

The fact that the load complies with current regulations and is correctly placed in the vehicle is also essential to avoid accidents in the transport of goods.