Why California’s Commercial Vehicle Boom Is Making Our Roads More Dangerous (and When to Call a California Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer)

In the last 10 years California has seen a 2.4 million increase in the number of registered vehicles. While this matches the growth in previous years, the vehicle class with the most growth in the last decade was trucks. This is likely related to the boom of e-commerce, delivery, and transportation services in the state. These services bring convenience and jobs to densely populated cities and suburbs but also add to congestion and contribute to the rising number of traffic accidents especially in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Crashes caused by delivery vans, food trucks, and rideshares differ from other car accidents because of the potential for serious damage, complex liability, and involvement of corporate insurers. Continue reading to hear from the trusted California commercial vehicle accident lawyers, also called ‘abogados de accidentes de vehículos comerciales en California,’ at Abogados Fuertes about the risks posed by the increase in commercial vehicles.

The growing popularity of on-demand delivery and app-based rideshares has been a unique change in the car-dependent cities and suburbs of California. These already congested streets and freeways now see countless delivery vans, food trucks, and rideshares. The same convenience culture that lets people order groceries and last-minute supplies with the click of a button has flooded neighborhood streets and busy parkways with significant commercial vehicle traffic.

A key part of the vibrant California lifestyle are festivals and pop-up events where food trucks, delivery vans, and rideshare vehicles are in high demand. The rise in traffic during off hours at shopping centers and neighborhoods increases the risk of accidents for everyone including pedestrians and cyclists. The convenience of these services comes at a cost when it puts rushed, distracted, and overworked commercial drivers on the road. California commercial vehicle accident attorneys are managing more cases of rideshare and food delivery truck accidents than ever before.

Different commercial vehicles pose different threats on the road. For example, rideshares and food delivery vehicles are often seen making unsafe maneuvers like U-turns and lane changes in inappropriate places. Because these drivers use apps to manage routes and customers, they can be distracted by the need to check their cell phone and cause a crash. In addition, the size and shape of food trucks and delivery vans create limited visibility for drivers, further increasing the risk of accidents.

Many of these services are so new companies and cities are struggling to keep up with infrastructure changes needed to help them run safely. Delivery vans and rideshare vehicles are often seen double parked or blocking bike lanes creating an unexpected change in traffic that leads to swerving and side swipe accidents. Commercial vehicles also tend to make sudden stops near events, shopping centers, and downtown increasing the risk of rear-end and pedestrian accidents. Unfortunately, pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders, and motorcyclists are especially vulnerable around commercial vehicles in California’s dense urban corridors and coastal routes.

When a commercial vehicle causes an accident, there can be a variety of legal complexities affecting insurance claims and financial compensation. These vehicles are often managed, owned, operated, and maintained by different entities, and any of these can be responsible for an accident. This complicates the process of identifying who or what is at fault, so many victims rely on help from California personal injury attorneys also known as ‘abogados de lesiones personales en California’ to conduct a thorough investigation and identify clear liability.

Significant damage is common in accidents caused by heavy box trucks and cargo vans. Because of this, commercial vehicles are required to carry higher insurance coverage limits depending on what they transport (goods or people) and the type of vehicle. This is why it is important to investigate all possible parties for liability, because each entity carries different insurance. Still, when corporate insurance is involved and serious injuries are suffered, calling a lawyer can be essential. Most commercial vehicle accidents are managed by legal experts. Unless minor damage is caused, victims benefit from the help of experienced accident lawyers to secure fair compensation.

The unique mix of active lifestyles with pop-up scenes and the convenience culture of instant deliveries create a difficult dynamic on California roads. The quick adaptation and reliance on rideshares, e-commerce, etc. means these commercial vehicles are not going anywhere. It’s time for Californians to find a way to take advantage of convenience services and also stay aware of the dangers of sharing the roads with commercial vehicles.

If you were hit by a commercial vehicle, schedule a free consultation with a California commercial vehicle accident attorney, like the team at Abogados Fuertes, and recover the compensation you need to get back on your feet.