According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), only three percent of truck drivers of large commercial trucks (like 18 wheelers) had consumed any amount of alcohol and then got behind the wheel and caused or were otherwise involved in a fatal DUI trucking accident.
Three percent is low – in fact, it’s the lowest out of all categories of drivers, based on a report by Trucker News Services. But any amount of alcohol is different from being over the limit. And based on NHTSA statistics for 2010, two percent of truck drivers were over the limit.
Though two percent is a relatively low number, the driver of a large vehicle who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs presents a serious safety hazard to others on the road, simply because the kind of vehicle being driven is so large. The impact of a large vehicle on smaller vehicles can be catastrophic in terms of serious injuries and fatalities.
From August 17 through Labor Day in September, thousands of police agencies will be participating in the nationwide yearly anti-DWI campaign, which has as its slogan “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”
In Texas, not only is a DWI-related accident likely to result in serious criminal charges, but it also gives grounds for an injury lawsuit, or a wrongful death lawsuit, brought on behalf of the injured person or the family who suffered loss because of someone else’s mistakes.
Source: Three percent of fatal truck accidents in 2010 involved alcohol