Truck accidents are more dangerous than car accidents. They tend to cause more damage because the trucks are big and heavy. Such accidents can lead to severe injuries or even death. Therefore, it’s important for people who share the road with big trucks to know why truck accidents are worse.
Truck accident lawyers often talk about how bad the injuries and damage are in these accidents. When victims get injured, they need more time to heal. At the same time, they have to deal with huge hospital bills. Therefore, getting legal help is important when they are trying to get fair compensation. This piece discusses five reasons why truck accidents are worse than car accidents.
1. The Overwhelming Size and Weight of Trucks
As you might expect, trucks are much larger and heavier than cars, especially semi-trucks. Sometimes, a truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Cars, on the other hand, only weigh 4,000 to 5,000 pounds. Because of these size and weight differences, trucks can damage cars and passengers more badly during a collision.
The people in the smaller vehicle might get badly injured or even die. Trucks also take up much more space on the road. Interestingly, they also have more momentum than normal cars. As a result, accidents due to high speeds lead to dreadful consequences.
2. Longer Stopping Distances
It takes a truck a lot longer to stop than a car. This is even prolonged further if the truck has some cargo in the back. Drivers have to move 20-40% extra distance to bring the truck to a stop. If it is raining or the brakes are not properly functioning, it takes even more time.
This issue makes it hard for truckers to notice sudden changes on the road. Such hazards can lead to rear-end collisions. Such limits are unknown to smaller car drivers. As such, they unconsciously endanger their lives.
3. Driver Fatigue is a Common Risk
Truck drivers work under rigid schedules. Most times, they have to spend extended hours on the roads. Such workload can lead to tiredness. Federal rules say that drivers can work up to 11 hours in a single shift. But even with breaks, drivers are often tired.
Drivers who are tired are more likely to:
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Have slower reaction times
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Make bad decisions
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Fall asleep at the wheel.
These things make it much more likely that an accident will happen. This is especially the case on roads where trucks are allowed to go faster.
4. Large Blind Spots Create Hidden Dangers
Trucks have large blind spots, also called no-zones, on all sides. Truck drivers often can’t see cars that are traveling in these blind spots. This makes side-swipes and quick lane change collisions more likely to happen.
Unlike cars, trucks don’t have the visibility tools. Therefore, they can’t watch out for nearby smaller vehicles. Car drivers need to be aware of these blind spots so they don’t get stuck in them. Sadly, this isn’t always the case.
5. Cargo Shifts Can Cause Loss of Control
Another unique risk factor for truck accidents is cargo that isn’t properly secured. Heavy cargo that moves around without warning can throw off the balance of a truck. In some cases, it can even cause it to topple over.
Unbalanced loads are especially dangerous during sharp turns or sudden stops. These actions can put nearby cars in danger. These kinds of crashes usually have terrible results. Examples include pileups of multiple cars or spills of dangerous materials.
All of these things illustrate why truck accidents are much more dangerous than car accidents. Drivers can share the road more safely if they know about these risks and how to reduce them.