Truck accidents can happen for any number of reasons here in Georgia, and oftentimes it’s the truck driver who is at fault. Let’s say that you were injured at the hands of a negligent trucker. You may be able to file a claim against the trucking company, but you will need to prove that negligence.
A recent study has put forward some interesting findings that could help in some truck accident cases. A transport safety expert from Loughborough University Design School, together with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, looked into the effect that caffeine consumption, in particular coffee consumption, has on truck drivers’ health and crash rate.
High coffee drinkers crash more
The study looked at two types of truckers: those who drink a single cup of coffee a day, and those who drink more than five cups. There were 3,007 in all, and they came from eight different states. Asked if they had crashed in the past three years, 21.6% of the first group said yes. Among the second group, 27.8% said yes.
Of course, researchers cannot say for certain that there is a causal relationship here. Yet they also found that the high coffee drinkers had worse health overall, sleeping poorly and not having the most healthy diet. Many in this group would smoke and drink more alcohol.
Further research is necessary
This was the first large-scale study that analyzed truck drivers’ actual caffeine-consuming behaviors. However, further research will be needed to find out, for example, how much caffeine will prove to be the “tipping point” into unsafe driving. Variables like differences in caffeine consumption between work days and days off will also have to be considered.
Personal attention from a lawyer
Many truck crashes result in catastrophic injuries for occupants of other vehicles. You need to focus on your physical recovery, but you still want to pursue a case against the responsible parties, which is why having legal assistance is so important.