In the United States, truck accidents occur every 16 minutes and many of these accidents can have catastrophic consequences causing serious injuries or even deaths. Because of these huge 18 wheeler trucks, victims in passenger cars or other similar sized vehicles are at risk of being exposed to certain injuries such as:

  • Internal Bleeding

  • Bone Fractures

  • Head Trauma

  • Spinal Nerve Damage

  • Scarring

Truck accidents are very different from normal car accidents. Since the truck driver’s position in commercial trucks is often very high, visibility of their surrounding areas is very low as it easy for them to overlook certain vehicles on the road.

Another factor that differentiates truck accidents from car accidents is the is the degree of damage and injury cause by such accidents. Because the size of the truck is relatively larger than most vehicles, accidents caused by trucks tend to cause more damage than a regular car accident. Also, trucks usually require a longer braking distance than your average commuter car.

So you may find yourself wondering, how do truck accidents happen?

Here are some of the many reasons for truck accidents to occur:

  • Truck drivers normally tend to speed aggressively on the road.
  • This is usually because they have a strict and often unrealistic schedule to meet.
  • There is usually a lack of inspection of tires, brakes, and headlights on these trucks.
  • Some trucks get too close to other cars on the road.
  • Drivers often experience major fatigue and carelessness due to excessive working hours.
  • Use of mobile phones while driving on the road.
  • Lack of mirror installation for blind spots.
  • Reckless driving when stuck in traffic jams.
  • Failure to abide by truck speed limits.

In most cases, negligence is the main cause of truck accidents. However, sometimes the negligence of corporate policies are also the case as well. For example, some trucks have a front bumper but can be missing side or rear bumpers.

Driving next to a large commercial truck is extremely dangerous and not recommended. It is crucial that all drivers on the road refrain from driving closely to these large trucks. Since these trucks have a lot of blind spots, it is very common for truck drivers to not see a neighboring vehicles next to them. Please remember to be very careful when driving next to large trucks on the road.