73-year-old UPS driver Tom Camp has been thrust into the national spotlight this week for accomplishing a rare feat in the trucking industry – he worked for 51 years without being involved in a traffic accident. According to the Detroit Free Press , the Livonia, Michigan man has logged 800,000 to 900,000 miles on the roads of metro Detroit since he began working for UPS in 1962. While Camp admits that he's had close calls in the past, he credits his focus on defensive driving for maintaining his accident-free career.

Camp's achievement is impressive and, unfortunately, extremely rare. There has only been one other UPS driver to achieve 50 years without an accident, and that man retired in 2012. UPS does recognize drivers who are able to compile years without crashes, inducting individuals who have worked 25 years without a crash into the UPS Circle of Honor. According to officials from UPS, 6,486 of the 65,000 U.S. drivers and 100,000 drivers across the world have achieved 25 years without an accident.

Driver Error & Truck Accidents

Driver error and negligence are among the leading causes of truck accidents. Because semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, and other large freight carrying vehicles can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, even the most minor error can cause devastation on public roadways. Truck accidents frequently result in personal injury, and in many cases catastrophic injury or wrongful death. Given these facts, trucking companies expend tremendous resources on training drivers. UPS, for example, spends $118 million annually on driver safety training.

Unfortunately, no amount of safety training, laws, or regulations can eliminate all cases of driver negligence. When truck drivers or trucking companies cause harm by failing to uphold their duties to drive responsibly, injured victims and families may be able to recover their damages by filing a personal injury claim.

If you would like more information about pursuing compensation after a trucking accident, contact a Houston truck accident lawyer from The Daspit Law Firm. For a free consultation, call (888) 273-1045.