Michigan has many truck accidents due to being the location of the largest international land border crossing in the United States and Canada. According to the FHWA report Michigan’s Ambassador Bridge has four lanes that connect Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, making it the single busiest international land border crossing into North America. Trucking freight traffic coming into the main Michigan interstate freeways is where many accidents happen on the following busy freeways that are heavily traveled by motor vehicle motorists:
Accidents on these interstates with trucks are more common due in part to increasing number of semi-trucks traveling on the interstate, leaving the victims in the passenger vehicles coping with catastrophic injuries and sometimes post-traumatic psychological trauma. Unfortunately, many of these accidents are the fault of the truck drivers with some of them driving drunk, some driving at excessive speed and others driving drowsy.
A lot of truckers will drink coffee to try to stay awake, but according to a new study, it seems that excessively drinking coffee over the long term has an adverse effect on health and raises the risk for a trucking crash. This trucking industry study was conducted by Virginia Tech Transport Institute and Loughborough University. The study findings were as follows:
The study involved just over 3,000 truck drivers from eight different states. These were chosen because of their coffee-drinking habits. Included were those who drink only one cup a day as well as those who consume over five cups daily. The studies have shown that caffein in coffee which is associated with sleep disruption according to Sage Journal report suggests that the drivers are using caffeine to deal with fatigue, sleepiness, and drowsiness.
The high coffee drinkers tend to try to mitigate their sleep deprivation by using more caffein. In some questions, the truck driver reported getting poor sleep, eating an unhealthy diet, smoking, and drinking more alcohol. The evidence suggests that greater coffee consumption is indicative of drowsy driving, which is known to contribute to truck accident collisions.
The ongoing studies need to be done to alert truck drivers that caffein consumption may help but is not a substitute for sleep after you feel drowsy or sleepy. There are many factors that play a role in trucking accidents For example, coffee is not the only caffeinated beverage that truckers will use to assuage sleepiness, tiredness, or drowsiness. Coffee consumption is only one of several beverages used by truck drivers to stay awake behind the wheel. The increased levels caffein consumption can do more harm than good. Researchers are looking for evidence of caffeine’s effect on driver inattention and reaction time to dangerous events on the road.
Free consultations are given to all victims of truck collisions who may be left wondering what to do after a truck accident event. If you or friends, family, or a loved one were the victim of truck driver negligence, then you may be entitled to substantial damages award, but without an experienced lawyer, filing a claim might be difficult to win. You may want to request an interview with an experience truck accident personal lawyer to decide who is best for your particular case. Call now 1-866-HIRE-JOE or contact us via email to schedule a FREE consultation to get the answers to all of your questions and concerns about your trucking accident.
