For the most part, the proliferation of delivery services has made modern life far more convenient. It can also reduce people’s crash risk because they don’t need to drive when they feel tired or sick. You can get more food than just pizza delivered to your home, as well as groceries and the full gamut of consumer products from different online retail operations.
For all of the convenience it creates, however, there are risks that come with delivery drivers being everywhere on the road. Although delivery trucks from proprietary fleets are often far smaller than massive commercial trucks, they are still big enough to do real damage to smaller passenger vehicles.
How do delivery fleets add to your risk on the road?
Drivers don’t know the area
It is common for delivery drivers to have routes in different areas from day to day or week to week. Long gone are the years when delivery drivers only travel the same neighborhood day after day.
They rely on digital navigation systems for each unique route and may therefore be a bit distracted at the wheel. They may also conduct sudden maneuvers, putting everybody on the road at risk if they cannot react in time.
They park in irresponsible places
Delivery drivers for large commercial fleets may have to deliver more than 100 packages in a single shift. They are often desperate to finish each delivery as quickly as possible, so they may not even pull down someone’s driveway. They might also face an area where there are no open spaces at the curb.
Delivery drivers often leave their vehicles idling on the edge of a lane or traffic, right around a curve or at the top of the hill where other drivers may not see them until it is too late. Not only could someone crash into a parked delivery vehicle, but they are also at risk of a collision if they approach a parked delivery vehicle and encounter another vehicle that maneuvers frantically trying to avoid a collision with a parked delivery vehicle.
In some cases, a crash with a delivery vehicle results in a straightforward insurance claim against a commercial policy. Other times, there may be grounds for a civil lawsuit when negligence on the part of the driver or their employer is to blame for the wreck. Keeping your understanding of road risks up to date helps you better protect yourself from a serious motor vehicle collision.