An Increase in Substance Abuse Leads to New Mexico Truck Accidents

Drug use and driving under the influence is a widespread problem among truck drivers in New Mexico. When a driver of a passenger vehicle uses drugs or drives drunk, serious injuries may occur. But when a truck driver abuses drugs and alcohol during their shift, it can lead to a New Mexico truck crash, and cause many fatalities.

Due to the nature of their job, truck drivers have demanding deadlines, and spend many hours on the road. Some of them use drugs to help them get through a shift so that they can get their shipment delivered by the deadline. Whatever the reason for using substances, they affect a trucker's ability to drive safely.

Truckers use stimulants to pick themselves up enabling them to put in extra hours and miles of driving. Methamphetamines are stimulants that have a caffeine-like effect. This allows a truck driver to stay awake at night and get more miles into the workday. Even though federal regulations limit how long a trucker can drive in a given day, some truckers try to beat the system in order to get their deliveries in early. Recent surveys concluded that truck drivers can easily obtain methamphetamines at almost any truck stop.

Another drug that truck drivers typically use is marijuana. No matter what your view is regarding marijuana, research shows that smoking a joint can lessen a driver's reaction time, and their ability to concentrate on the road, which can lead to a fatal truck crash.

Alcohol abuse is also a problem. Even if a trucker is not legally drunk, alcohol can still affect their ability to drive safely. Truck drivers have a lower allowable Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) than ordinary motorists, and are not permitted to drive with a BAC over .04. They also face higher fines and penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol. The federal government realizes that trucks pose a bigger threat to other drivers, which is why drinking and driving carries stiffer penalties for truckers.

Other reasons why truck accidents in New Mexico occur include:

• Improper loading of cargo
• Truck driver fatigue
• Speeding
• Driver inattentiveness, negligence, and distracted driving
• Brake failure
• Unfamiliarity with the roadway

If serious injuries result from a truck crash in New Mexico, law enforcement can have the truck driver take a post-accident sobriety test. If you have been involved in a truck accident, you should contact a New Mexico truck accident lawyer immediately to find out your rights. An experienced attorney will make sure everything is being done to obtain a trucker's hours of service logbooks and drug or alcohol tests. Call the law firm of Keller & Keller at (505) 938-2300 and get your legal questions answered today.



We represent injured victims in the cities of Albuquerque, South Valley, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo, Placitas, Tijeras, Los Lunas, Edgewood, Moriarty, Santa Fe, Los Cruces, Roswell, Silver City, Alamogordo, and in the counties of Bernalillo County, Sandoval County, Valencia County, Santa Fe County, Dona Ana County, and Torrance County and throughout New Mexico.

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