An aggressive driver is weaving in and out of traffic and angers another driver already frustrated and tense from increasingly heavy traffic congestion. They engage in a cat and mouse game at 80 miles per hour.

A driver distracted while talking on a cell phone abruptly cuts into your lane with no signal almost causing a collision.

Another driver is tailgating the car ahead of him as a way to either make the slower driver speed up or move out of his lane. The slower driver decides to teach that guy a lesson and goes even slower, backing up traffic for blocks and making even more drivers angry. Not to mention horn honking, fist waving and flashing obscene gestures.

According to the AutoVantage 2009 Road Rage Survey, Denver, Colorado is the 13th Least Courteous City to drive in compared to 24 other major cities in the United States. This is a considerable slip from last year’s ranking of 11th place.

What contributed to Denver’s slip in the rankings? Denver drivers ranked high in several road rage inducing behaviors including:
– 2nd most likely to wave their fists or arms at another driver
– 2nd most likely to eat or drink while driving

The good news is, Denver won the number one spot for least likely to see motorists speeding on a daily basis.

Here are some findings from the survey.

Major Causes of Road Rage
– Bad/careless driving, such as cutting others off, speeding tailgating, talking on cell phones, making obscene gestures and not using proper signals
– People who are angry, stressed, frustrated, tired or had a bad day
– People who are in a hurry, impatient or running late
– Traffic problems, accidents, poor road conditions or construction
– Inconsiderate, disrespectful, selfish drivers who think they own the road

Actions that Trigger Road Rage (that were seen every day)
– Drivers who talk on their cell phones (84 percent)
– Driving too fast (58 percent)
– Tailgating (53 percent)
– Eating or drinking while driving (48 percent)
– Texting or emailing while driving (37 percent)
– Cutting over without notice (43 percent)
– Multi-tasking – putting on makeup, shaving or reading while driving (27 percent)
– Slamming on the brakes (25 percent)
– Running red lights (22)

Common Reactions to Rude or Bad Driving (those surveyed admitted they do this every month)
– Honk their horn at the offending driver (43 percent)
– Curse at the other drivier (36 percent)
– Wave their fist or arms (13 percent)
– Make an obscene gesture (10 percent)
– Call the police to report the driver (7 percent)
– Slam into the car in front of them (1 percent)

Here’s how the Top Ten cities rounded out.
Least Courteous Cities
1. New York
2. Dallas/Ft. Worth
3. Detroit
4. Atlanta
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul
6. Phoenix
7. Miami
8. Houston
9. Cincinnati
10. San Diego

Most Courteousl Cities
1. Portland, OR
2. Cleveland
3. Baltimore
4. Sacramento
5. Pittsburg
6. Washington DC
7. Philadelphia (tie)
8. St. Louis (tie)
9. Boston
10. Seattle

So, fellow Denverites, it looks like one of our New Year’s resolutions for 2010 should be: Let’s be a little more courteous on Colorado’s roadways.

What made my conversation with this irate semi-truck driver even more interesting was I had just received an email about the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, a national association of dedicated plaintiff lawyers (no defense lawyers allowed) who have joined together to help eliminate unsafe and illegal interstate trucking practices across America. I was actually visiting their web site when I took his phone call. Talk about coincidence.

Here are some of the highlights of our conversation.

Irate Semi-Truck Driver: “Most truckers are good guys, just trying to feed their families”
Me: I agree.

Irate Semi-Truck Driver: “A lot of the accidents are caused by careless drivers in cars”
Me: I agree

Irate Semi-Truck Driver: “Most truckers are safe drivers and obey the regulations”
Me: I agree.

Irate Semi-Truck Driver: “The trucking companies don’t make it easy for us to make a living:
Me: I agree.

You can see the direction of our conversation. As I talked about in my previous blog about semi-truckers who falsify their logs, our focus is not on the drivers who are the good guys, the semi-truck drivers who are safe, conscientious drivers. Our target iare the individuals who try to cheat the system, those who put money over the safety of those they share the highway with. Additionally, we want the trucking companies who make business decisions based on money rather than safety to be held accountable. The trucking companies who offer monetary incentives to their drivers to meet deadlines to be held accountable when one of those drivers kills someone with one of their 80,000 pound weapon on wheels.

According to AITLA, “each year nearly 5,000 men, women and children are killed on America’s highways in crashes with big trucks. These grim facts are not acceptable. In spite of strong evidence that toughening rules on unsafe interstate trucking companies would reduce deaths and crashes, increases in the allowable hours of service for truck drivers have been passed into law, and too often safety laws are violated for profit driven, greedy motives.”

When it comes down to it on the highways, let’s face it, my 4,000 pound car doesn’t stand a chance against their 80,000 pound behemoth. We need all the help we can get.

At Bachus & Schanker, LLC we have personally seen the devastating ramifications that semi-truck accidents have on families.

Consider these statistics for 2006 from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration:

4,732 Large Trucks Involved in Fatal Crashes
4,995 Fatalities in Crashes Involving Large Trucks
135,741 Large Trucks in Non-Fatal Crashes
57,213 Large Trucks involved in Injury Crashes
85,984 Injuries in Crashes Involving Large Trucks

According to CBS4 reporter Rick Sallinger, truckers told him “cheating is common practice, everybody does it”. He reports, “The Colorado Motor Carriers Association said the vast majority of truckers do not falsify their logs. They say evidence of that are improved safety figures”. What does that really mean? There is an estimated over 3.3 million truck drivers in the U.S. A vast majority could mean any where from 51% to 99.9% don’t falsify their logs. That translates to anywhere from 1.67 million to 33,000 truckers who are falsifying their logs. I don’t find those numbers particularly comforting. It’s kind of like saying Russian Roulette isn’t that dangerous because there aren’t bullets in all of the chambers. I certainly don’t want one of my friends, family or myself driving next to one of the “few” truckers who loses control of his 80,000 pound vehicle due to slower reaction time (compounded by fatigue) to another accident, hazardous road conditions, brake failure, tire blow out, bad or inconsiderate car drivers, moose in the road, or whatever conceivable reason that might occur.

I can’t say that the truckers themselves are totally to blame here. I would argue that most truckers are decent guys (or gals) just trying to make a living. I would argue that the responsibility lies with the trucking companies. By pressuring drivers to deliver their goods on time and with their pay generally based on miles driven not hours driven, drivers are put in a no-win situation.

We need to hit truckers and the trucking companies where it hurts the most, their pocketbooks. Legislators on the state House and Senate transportation committees should consider if penalties should be stiffer. No doubt the rising cost of fuel is putting the squeeze on the trucking companies’ profits, but it seems the trucking companies are putting profit before safety.

How many more people will die this year, until something changes?

This bill, if approved and made law, will also add additional chain up stations along I-70. HB-1229 has the potential to significantly reduce the numbers of truck related accidents and fatalities that usually plague the mountainous portion of I-70 during the winter months. Let’s hope the Senate and Governor Ritter agree.

For more information, read the full article from the Denver Post.

As Colorado truck accident attorneys, we regularly help individuals who have been seriously injured in collisions with commercial semi-trucks. We keep updated on the latest federal laws regulating truck drivers and the companies that employ the drivers.

The New York Times recently published an article detailing the changes in the trucking industry regulations and laws. Our firm feels that the Bush administration’s blatant pandering to the corporate interests in rolling back the deregulation of the trucking industry by more than a generation, clearly demonstrates this administration’s practice of catering to special interests at the expense of individuals and families.

In Colorado and across the country, truck accident statistics serve as a warning of the dangers of accidents between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2004, the following Colorado truck accident statistics are known:

• 69 fatalities in collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles
• 1,917 non-fatal crashes between large trucks and passenger vehicles
• 570 large trucks were involved in injury collisions with smaller vehicles
• 804 reported injuries from collisions involving large trucks

Information shows that some common causes of truck accidents may include:

• Driver error
• Failure to inspect brakes or equipment
• Improper training and supervision
• Violation of Hours of Service Requirements
• Alcohol and drug violations
• Driver fatigue
• Aggressive drivers
• Cell phone use
• Inexperience
• Speeding
• Tailgating

The companies that employ semi-truck drivers often fail to conduct the required safety and background checks on the drivers, and they may fail to properly train their employees to drive their trucks. A truck company may be responsible for the negligent acts of its drivers, therefore in any trucking accident it is critical to investigate whether the trucking company followed the proper policies and procedures and laws in ensuring the safety of its drivers and the safety of other motorists sharing the roadways with their drivers.

The following tips may help you and your family avoid a dangerous collision with a semi-truck:

• Keep visible. Stay out of the truck’s blind spots. Always stay far enough behind a truck to see both of the truck’s side mirrors.
• Maintain a safe distance to ensure that there is enough space and time to brake.
• Drive defensively.
• Use signals to turn or pass.
• Avoid sudden moves such as swerving to pass.

For more tips and information about semi-trucks and truck accidents, please visit the truck accident attorney section of our website or click on the video center located on our home page to hear from Bachus & Schanker, LLC attorneys about semi-truck accidents.