In West Virginia and across the United States, many people may not realize that distracted driving is often the cause of major truck accidents. These accidents can result in pain and suffering, lost wages, serious injuries and even permanent disability for victims.
Long-distance truck drivers are not easily distracted by smartphones or other personal computing devices; these professionals are trained to handle various data and communications devices installed in the cabins of their vehicles, but distracted driving can be prompted by other factors such as fatigue or being away from home at a time when family problems are developing. The road transportation industry is known to make extensive use of telematics and analytics to improve its operations, which is why it makes sense that this data is now being used to study distracted driving situations.
A couple of years ago, a respected telematics firm introduced a tool that looks at various factors that may indicate when truck drivers get distracted. Omnatrics collects cabin data and compares it to trucking logs and other information to create scenarios that suggest when a driver is getting distracted.
Zendrive is another firm dedicated to analyzing trucking data to identify potential distractions, and it does so by looking at smartphone use in the cabin. The analytics provided by Zendrive are not limited to tractor-trailers; they also apply to delivery truck fleets.
The availability of data profiles that suggest distracted driving conditions among truck drivers might be used when pursuing trucking accident lawsuits. A liability attorney who is able to include this data as part of the discovery packet may argue that a driver showing signs of distraction was not pulled from the road, thereby increasing the potential of a favorable outcome for accident victims.
Source: Fleet Owner, “Using data and tech to combat distracted driving — and its costs“, Aaron Marsh, 04/27/2018