18 Wheeler Accidents

Though collisions with large trucks are less common than accidents with other passenger vehicles, the mortality rate increases dramatically. This is because the sheer size and weight difference between a standard car and a standard commercial truck weighing in at about 20 times the weight of a car. This, inevitably, makes all the difference in the outcome. What can further exacerbate the situation is a tire blowout on a large commercial truck, like an 18-wheeler. When something goes wrong with a vehicle that is that big, and is moving that fast, it can have absolutely devastating consequences.

You say, “oh, but that does not happen very often.” Well, how often do you see 18-wheelers pulled over on the side of the road fixing a tire? Drive on the interstate for a little while and you’re bound to see one pulled over. Better yet, drive on the interstate and look at all the pieces of tire you see littering the sides of the highway: many of those full strips you see came from big rigs unraveling a full tire while driving down the highway. The truth is, it happens, and when it happens, it can be a very dangerous and difficult situation for any driver to handle.

In fact, one of the leading causes of truck accidents are tire blowouts. A blowout may cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle and become a hazard to the highway.

According to Tx Dot, in 2014 there were 508 fatal crashes involving commercial vehicles, including 18 wheelers, killing 588 Texans statewide. But that only tells half the story, there 1,155 accidents that caused debilitating injuries to over 1,500 Texans statewide. There were over 3,100 confirmed injury accidents injuring over 4,600 Texans and up to over 11,000 more that are unconfirmed.

The numbers are simply staggering. Texas is a very large state, with thousands of miles of highways and roads. With Texas’ strong economy and high population, accidents between commercial vehicles and standard vehicles are bound to happen.

The trucking industry is large and powerful. Some profit-driven trucking companies place unfair demands on their drivers. Most truck drivers are only paid for moving a product from one location to another. This financial incentive for truckers encourages truckers to engage in negligent and dangerous behaviors on the road. Driver fatigue, driving at excessive speed, using dangerous drugs to stay awake at night while driving and failing to adjust their speed for adverse weather conditions, or a combination of things listed above, can become incredibly dangerous for other driver’s on the road.

Articles Tagged with 18 Wheeler Accidents

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