The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) limits the hours of service a truck driver may perform to a maximum of sixteen (16) per day as a safety measure designed to prevent truck accidents. Studies have shown that driving for extended periods without regular breaks can lead to a type of altered consciousness known as “highway hypnosis” – a major cause of semi-truck accidents and resulting truck accident injuries. And these injuries, in turn, are often grounds for a semi-truck lawsuit.
Highway hypnosis, also known as road hypnosis or “driving without awareness”, usually occurs after prolonged periods of concentration – such as those typical of long-haul truck driving, especially on freeways at night. It’s not the same thing as fatigue, which is simply the desire for sleep or rest; instead, it’s more like being in a trance. And a driver in such a trance can be a major cause of truck accident injuries.
Semi-truck accidents caused by highway hypnosis happen every day, often due to nothing more than the lack of truck-friendly rest stops along the freeway. In short, extended driving periods and truck accidents fit like a wrench to a bolt.
If you are involved in a truck accident, seek the counsel of a truck accident attorney to investigate what role the truck driver’s extended drive time might have played in the crash. We can help.
Call the offices of the Johnson Law Group at 1-888-311-5522, or contact us by email to discuss your case.
