Have you ever been scared when a big truck drives too close to your car? You are right to be so cautious. Truck accidents are far more dangerous compared to regular car accidents because trucks are gigantic by comparison. An average car weighs about 4,000 pounds, while the weight of a fully loaded truck can be as high as 80,000 pounds. That is twenty times heavier!
Furthermore, when cars and trucks collide, car occupants usually are the ones who have more severe injuries. Hence, truck drivers must be more careful when out on the road.
This post will discuss some common reckless behaviors that truck drivers display on the road and how they affect everyone else. Continue reading.
1. Speeding trucks
One obvious sign of truck drivers exhibiting reckless behavior on highways is when they violate speed limits. Some drivers rush to deliver loads on time or compensate for lost time. However, a truck traveling at high speed is considerably more hazardous than a speeding car.
Here’s why—a truck requires much more stopping space than a car. At highway speeds of 65 mph, a loaded truck takes roughly 525 feet to come to a complete stop. When you drive near a speeding truck, you are practically driving beside one big moving thing that cannot stop quickly.
2. Distracted driving
You have probably seen truck drivers eat, drink, or use their phones while driving. Such distractions are dangerous enough for any driver to make, but they are particularly dangerous if one drives a truck or a trailer.
In the time it takes to glance at a brief text message—just a couple of seconds—a lot can happen. The traffic might stop suddenly, or a car might cut off a line. A truck driver distracted by texting may not see these changes in time to brake safely, causing a fatal accident.
3. Tailgating
Frankly, this is scary and very dangerous when a truck is following too closely behind your car. You feel harassed and anxious when there is such a huge truck right behind you, looking in your mirror. This would make you change your driving style for the day or make unsafe decisions just to be out of the truck.
Safe truck drivers know they should maintain plenty of space between their trucks and other vehicles. The rule is at least one second for every 10 feet of length. At a typical size, this puts trucks at 7-8 seconds behind the vehicle in front of them. If they fail to follow that, they put everyone at risk.
Concluding Thoughts – The Bigger Impact
The impact of truck accidents is not limited to the victims but extends to other parties as well. Trucks, when involved in an accident, can block several lanes of traffic. They lead to a longer delay in traffic, which sometimes persists for hours, by which people will arrive late at their offices, miss some necessary appointments, delay movement of critical goods, or be caught up in the congestion.
Remember to stay out of their blind spots, give them space to brake and take corners, and never cut them off. While we can’t control the truck drivers’ behavior, we can control how we drive around them.
