How Can Trucks Cause Serious Accidents for Cars on the Road?

Although car accidents can happen at any time, trucks can be especially prone to colliding with cars and causing severe damage. 

Knowing the unique problems you face around commercial trucks, especially on highways or busy roads, is important. 

Uneven loads

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, crashes and accidents commonly arise when a truck driver loses control of his or her vehicle. A truck may swerve suddenly or travel out of a lane, causing the cars behind it to come to a sudden stop.  

Unsafe amounts of cargo and oversized loads are often the culprits for this issue since they can tip a truck to one side or another. If a driver overloads a truck, this added weight also makes it hard for him or her to stop suddenly. 

Poor handling

Although rain or snow affects all drivers, trucks typically fare worse on bad roads since they are more unwieldy and can easily jackknife if the driver is not careful. Jackknifing is when a truck skids forward and the trailer swings around and suddenly blocks incoming traffic.  

A truck driver braking too suddenly or failing to properly assess the amount of space ahead on the road can lead to this kind of accident.  

Lack of visibility

Truck drivers sit up higher in their vehicles than people in cars, which can lead to blind spots. Truckers who do not check their mirrors can easily miss other people on the road to their right or left and then cause a collision. 

Whether a crash is head-on or from behind, trucks are a serious threat to any smaller vehicle.