Common Truck Accidents And How To Prevent Them

Most people will shiver at the thought of driving alongside trucks. However, trucks play an essential part in driving the economy, and therefore, they must be on the road.  The trucking business has moved billions of tons of cargo and has employed many people, including truck drivers, loaders, logistic agents, among others, making it an essential industry. Therefore, it is important to learn how to accommodate the presence of trucks on the road. Like other vehicles, truck accidents are now on the rise, despite the many measures being taken to prevent them. The unfortunate thing about truck accidents is that most are catastrophic, causing huge damages, injuries, and even death. This blog discusses some of the common truck accidents and how you can prevent them.  Let’s check the list. 

Head-On And Rear-End Collisions

A head-on collision accident occurs when a truck collides with another vehicle head to head. In contrast, a rear-end collision involves a truck crashing at the back of another vehicle. Due to their weight, height, and body, such accidents lead to severe damages and injuries to the other driver, and sometimes it becomes challenging salvaging anything after the accident. To avoid such accidents, drivers need to keep their distance while driving behind or in front of the trucks. It would also be important never to overtake or use the wrong way in traffic as this is the main cause of these accidents. If you get hurt in a truck accident caused by the truck driver’s fault, it is important to follow the required procedures to recover from the accident.  Some of these steps include getting to the hospital and finding a reliable big rig lawyer to help file a compensation claim.

Jackknife Accidents

Jackknife accidents are some of the common truck accidents, whereby a truck driver brakes suddenly, making the trailer swing out at a 90 degrees angle or resemble a jackknife shape. With a jackknife accident, a truck can easily roll over or hit other vehicles on their lanes, causing massive damages and injuries. 

Truck drivers need to be careful when driving their trucks and know where and how to apply brakes to avoid such accidents. Also, other drivers need to provide distance and stay safe from trucks, especially in sharp corners, slippery roads, or other factors that might lead to this accident. 

Rollover Accidents

Rollover truck accidents happen when the truck tips over and roll several times on or off the road. This situation causes the truck and its cargo to fall haphazardly, inconveniencing other drivers on the road.  A rolling truck can cause other accidents, especially on a fast lane highway. 

How do you prevent this? a truck driver needs to be careful and drive the truck at moderate speed to avoid losing balance and rolling. They should also observe road conditions and avoid distractions while behind the wheel. Other drivers need to keep their distance and drive at recommended speed to avoid falling victim to a rolling truck. 

Blind Spot Accidents

A truck has many blind spots, which become the main cause of accidents to other vehicles. A truck driver will not see the other vehicle if they don’t appear in their mirrors. Once the truck driver loses sight of the other vehicle near them, it can easily lead to accidents, especially if they turn or change lanes. 

Therefore, any road user needs to avoid staying at the truck’s blind spots; if it’s a must, you need to pass through the blind spots; you need to do it fast while signaling the truck driver by beeping. Other drivers must ensure that they don’t tailgate or cut across moving trucks as anything can happen, leading to accidents. 

Under-Ride Accidents

Under-ride accidents are terrifying truck accidents, as they mostly lead to fatalities. This truck accident happens when a smaller vehicle gets beneath the truck trailer, ripping off its top.  Mostly, this happens when a speeding vehicle gets under stationery or a slow-moving truck. 

You can prevent these accidents by installing side and rear guards on trucks to avoid vehicles getting underneath. Also, other road users need to exercise extra care when driving behind trucks, especially at night. They should not over-speed or try overtaking trucks at high speeds, which is the common cause of these accidents. 

Blow-Outs

Blow-outs happen when a tire bursts and throws its threads away, leading to a truck becoming unstable and causing other accidents, as mentioned above. A blow-out tire can also disrupt, cause injuries and also damage other vehicles and properties. 

Truck drivers need to inspect their vehicle’s tires and ensure they are in good condition at all times. Also, other drivers need to keep their distance from trucks to avoid becoming victims of these blow-outs.  

The above are some of the common truck accidents and possible ways you can prevent them. Knowing these accidents and ways of preventing them helps any driver to take precautions to reduce such accidents. However, it is important to follow the laid down procedures when injured to recover fast and get full compensation.