The holiday season is well underway. As you and your loved ones in Chicago get ready to enjoy the festivities, shop and travel to spend more time with family and friends, you should think about how  commercial vehicle accidents  can ruin your plans and change your lives.

You should not assume every driver, especially truckers, uses the best driving practices. They, just like you, are human. Whereas you drive your vehicle for leisure and work, they drive their vehicles for work. Many of them drive for long hours, through several states and often have very little time for themselves and families. The more time they spend on the roads increases the likelihood of them getting into accidents. To protect yourself and family members, take some time to review the following lesser known causes of truck accidents.

Not qualified

Some of the truckers you see are not qualified to be on the roads; they may not have enough training or have several  license violations. These issues prohibit them from operating commercial vehicles, but that is not enough to deter some commercial vehicle operators from going to work and driving. Many truck industry supervisors and companies they work for do not have protocols in place to detect when their drivers are in violation of the law. Other companies are short-staffed and overlook when their workers are not eligible or experienced enough to drive.

Mechanical deficiencies

Trucks and commercial vehicles must pass safety inspections before they can be on the roads. Many semi-trailers, big rigs and other commercial trucks do not pass inspections. They may have faulty equipment, outdated technology and other mechanical deficiencies that can lead to issues on the road that cause accidents.

It is not always operator error that causes truck accidents. Many of them are caused by passenger car drivers, unqualified truck operators and mechanical problems. There is not much you can do about those issues, but you can treat all trucks the same by giving them a wide berth and paying careful attention to them and other motorists while driving safely to avoid accidents with them.