When truck drivers take drugs they impair the driver’s ability to drive safely. This puts everyone at risk of severe and fatal injuries from truck accidents as a result of truck driver negligence and impairment. About 5,000 deaths each year are caused by truck drivers on drugs.
The Most Common Drugs Used by Truck Drivers
In 2020 is was recorded by the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse that more than 60,500 alcohol and drug violations we committed. There were 80% of positive drug test violations. There were more than 31 thousand failed tests for marijuana use, 8,500 for cocaine, 5,579 for methamphetamine.
Side Effects of Common Drugs Used by Truckers
Truck drivers become impaired when they use these drugs. They increase the risk of traffic accidents. Specific drugs can play a part in driving skills and how they act in the brain. Here is a list of some of the side effects of common drugs used by truck drivers:
- Marijuana: Causes impaired memory, psychosis, mood changes, delusions, and difficulty with problem-solving and thinking.
- Oxymorphone: Causes anxiety, hallucinations, confusion, dry mouth, seizures, fainting, and changes in a heartbeat.
- Methamphetamine: Causes insomnia, paranoia, impaired verbal learning, mood disturbances, and reduced motor speed.
- Cocaine: Causes increased blood pressure and heart rate, body temperature, restlessness, muscle twitches, tremors, and erratic behavior.
- Amphetamine: Causes Apprehension, high or low blood pressure, insomnia, nosebleed, loss of appetite, and obsessive behaviors.
These drugs can impair the judgment of distance and time not to mention alter their attention and make reaction time slower. Some truck drivers can be aggressive and reckless which can lead them to take risks that they wouldn’t take without being under the influence.
Why Truck Drivers Use Drugs
In our economy, the one vital role is played out by truck drivers. The industry they work in places extreme demands on its workers. The standards push for deliveries to arrive fast and on time. To do this truck drivers often work long hours, make nighttime trips and have irregular schedules dictated by the needs of the customers. This can lead to stress, loneliness, and poor sleep which can lead a driver down the path to relying on drugs to cope. They fill a void and even entertain themselves to stay awake on the road.
Experienced Syracuse Truck Accident Attorneys
If you live in New York State – whether it be in Syracuse, Central New York, Utica, or elsewhere in the state, it it critically important that you contact an experienced Syracuse personal injury attorney who specializes in car truck accidents and has a proven track record of success.
No Fee Unless You Win
What about legal fees? How much will hiring a lawyer to represent you in a vehicle accident cost you? What if you are hospitalized and unable to work and earn a paycheck? Most personal injury and car accident lawyers in Syracuse and elsewhere in New York State work on what is called a “contingency fee basis.” This means that you don’t pay anything – not one penny – out of your own pocket. Legal fees are paid out of the settlement or verdict only if we win your case.
Schedule your free no-obligation consultation with the skilled personal injury attorneys at McMahon Kublick PC today. Call (315) 238-2993 or use our online contact form.
