When you see the carnage a truck crash can cause, it is easy to paint truckers as the bad guys or girls. Yet many are far better drivers than your average car user.
While it is right to be cautious sharing the road with trucks, it is essential to understand how truck crashes occur and why they can be so devastating.
The damage potential is mainly down to size
Let’s say a fight breaks out in a bar. Who would you be more scared of? The little guy, or the one who looks they just walked off the pro football pitch? It’s the same on the roads. A vehicle with 18 wheels can hit you a lot harder than one with four.
The size of trucks also makes them more risk-prone
The massive side area of trailers makes trucks an easy target for strong winds to topple. When a rig blows over, it could take out a couple of lanes of traffic in one go.
The longer the vehicle, the more challenging it is for the driver to watch it all. For instance, if you ride a skateboard, it is all there under your feet. If you drive a car, you have to keep an eye on around 40 feet of perimeter. Anyone operating a semi-trailer has closer to 130 feet to consider. The extra size and cab height also mean cabs have bigger blind spots than cars.
Understanding these things allows you to try and stay out of the way of trucks. Yet, it does not excuse a truck driver that crashes into you. They know the risks their vehicles entail and how the size can amplify the consequences of a mistake, so they need to adjust accordingly. You, on the other hand, will need to know how to get compensation.