Why Are Truck Accidents More Dangerous Than Small Vehicle Ones

Many kinds of vehicular accidents occur on the roads every day. And not all automotive accidents are equal. Motor vehicle accidents can range and intensity from minor with no injuries reported up to fatal. In some instances, a motor vehicle accident can cause multiple fatalities.

There are many kinds of dangerous motor vehicle accidents occurring all the time, those incidents involving large shipping trucks are often the most devastating. There are many reasons why a collision involving a tractor-trailer is the most deadly of the different forms of motor vehicle accidents that occur.

Trucks Are Heavier

First and foremost, is the fact that large shipping container trucks are heavier than any other vehicle on the road. The heavier an object is The more mass and therefore, the momentum it has. A tractor-trailer moving at 30 mph has several times the force produced by a smaller vehicle going the same speed.

All of that momentum spells destructive power. The heavier an object is the more force it carries with it. Therefore, even a low-speed collision with a large object such as a truck can destroy your vehicle. There is no fender bender when it comes to tractor-trailer incidents involving civilian vehicles. Any such occurrence has the potential to be deadly even at ultra-low speeds.

This translates to a severe need for truckers to always be at the top of their game when operating their vehicle. A trucker must avoid accidents at all costs. Because even the smallest accident can lead to thousands of dollars in injury claims or even cause a fatality. 

If a trucker is involved in a small vehicle accident with their shipping rig, they’ll need to hire an attorney immediately. You’ll need to find a specialist that deals with these kinds of cases and understand the issues at play. Have a look at the page created by Marks & Harrison to learn more about how to alleviate some of the issues surrounding the incident. It’s important to protect your license since truckers’ livelihood is based on it.

Haulers Are Really Big

When a large rig has an incident on the road it has the potential to affect more people because of its sheer size. Not only does the size and trailer make the truck prone to jackknifing, if it does jackknife, but it can also affect the entire road. One out-of-control tractor-trailer can wipe out dozens of civilian vehicles.

Lots of other issues related to size often come into play. A large number of tires means that they are more likely to blow and shred a tire sending steel-belted rubber into the path of unsuspecting vehicles.

Dangerous Loads

Large shipping trucks often Carrie hazardous substances. These substances can make any interaction with the tractor-trailer significantly more dangerous. This is especially true if it’s carrying petroleum products.

However, there are many other products that a shipping container may be carrying. It could be hauling toxic substances or chemicals. Perhaps it’s transporting hazardous waste. There are almost countless substances and materials that any truck could be carrying at any time.

They Are More Likely To Leave The Road

If a tractor-trailer does lose control, they are much more likely to leave the road. Once they get into a jackknife position or lose their stability they are probably going to have a hard time recovering. This is especially true in inclement weather. 

Large container trucks also have difficulty when driving in the mountains. The massive quantities of heavy materials make slowing down and stopping on steep inclines are really hard on the brakes. As a consequence, breaks off and fails when descending off of a mountain.

Mountainous terrain also has sudden changes in weather and snowstorms can suddenly occur. When this happens trucks are often caught unprepared and may not be able to safely drive down a mountain slope.

Both of these reasons are why mountain roads often have emergency escape paths at the bottom of big declines. These are designed for runaway trucks to be able to choose an alternate dead-end path that goes up the hill. This allows them to slow down instead of being forced to turn at a high velocity. If a truck’s brakes have failed or find itself descending on icy roads, they can rely on these escape roads to save them and prevent the truck from toppling over.

It’s best to be cautious around large shipping trucks during inclement weather and anytime there are questionable road conditions. Carefully considering road hazards, including things like snow or gravel, gives both truck drivers and regular citizens a bit of insight and they should slow down and increase their awareness as a consequence. Being considerate of each other’s needs and capabilities allows everybody to collectively work together to avoid accidents while driving on the road.