On this page
- How Can GPS Distract a Truck Driver?
- What If the GPS Was Mounted?
- Can GPS Records Be Preserved?
- What If GPS Sent the Truck Down the Wrong Road?
- Could the Trucking Company Be Responsible?
- What If the Driver Missed an Exit?
- What Other Evidence Matters?
- What Injuries Can Result?
- What Should I Do?
- Jacqueline Scott & Associates Can Investigate
If an 18-wheeler driver was looking at, typing into, or adjusting a GPS system when they caused your Louisiana wreck, investigators should determine whether the device diverted the driver’s attention from the roadway.
FMCSA currently advises commercial drivers to set GPS and route information before beginning to drive rather than manipulating navigation while the vehicle is moving.
How Can GPS Distract a Truck Driver?
A driver may:
- type an address;
- search for a location;
- zoom a map;
- read directions;
- change routes;
- reposition a device; or
- repeatedly look away from traffic.
Any of these actions can reduce attention.
What If the GPS Was Mounted?
A mounted device may reduce some risks associated with reaching for a phone, but the driver still needs to remain focused on safe operation.
The specific conduct matters.
Can GPS Records Be Preserved?
Potentially.
Fleet systems may contain route and location information.
The availability of information depends on the device and company.
What If GPS Sent the Truck Down the Wrong Road?
Commercial drivers must still operate safely.
A navigation error does not automatically justify an unsafe turn, abrupt lane change, prohibited route, or dangerous maneuver.
Could the Trucking Company Be Responsible?
Potentially.
Company routing practices, dispatch instructions, training, and device policies may become relevant.
What If the Driver Missed an Exit?
A distracted driver may recognize an exit too late and make a dangerous multi-lane maneuver.
Video, GPS, and dispatch information may help reconstruct what happened.
What Other Evidence Matters?
Potential evidence includes:
- dashcam video;
- driver-facing footage;
- GPS records;
- telematics;
- dispatch communications;
- cellphone information; and
- witnesses.
What Injuries Can Result?
Navigation-related distraction can lead to rear-end crashes, lane departures, sideswipes, intersection collisions, and rollovers.
Serious injuries may include brain injury, spinal injury, fractures, internal injuries, paralysis, and permanent disability.
What Should I Do?
Get medical treatment.
Preserve photographs and video.
Identify witnesses.
Save dashcam footage.
Keep medical and employment records.
Jacqueline Scott & Associates Can Investigate
Technology should help a commercial driver reach a destination safely—not become the reason another motorist is injured.
If GPS distraction contributed to your Louisiana 18-wheeler accident, Jacqueline Scott & Associates can investigate the driver, electronic records, trucking company, and insurance.
Make ’Em Pay.
Call (318) 746-5997.
Every case is different. Results depend on the specific facts and circumstances of each individual matter. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This information is general and is not legal advice.
This article is general information about Louisiana law and is not legal advice. Laws and deadlines can change, and every case depends on its own facts. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Reading this page or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.
