The main thing that causes truck accidents to be among the most severe motor vehicle accidents on the roadway is the truck’s size. Trucks can weigh up to 20 to 30 times more than a passenger car. They are much taller and have a higher ground clearance. Some of the ways this impacts the driver’s ability to maneuver the truck are:
Increased stopping distance: Loaded tractor-trailers take up to 40 percent more distance to stop on dry roads and under safe speeds. This distance increases with speed and on wet or icy roads.
High center of gravity: The truck’s higher center of gravity makes it prone to rollovers when approaching corners at high speeds or during accident avoidance maneuvers.
Wide turns: The length of the truck requires a lot of space to complete a turn. This poses a risk to others in adjacent travel and turn lanes.
Blind spots: Trucks have significant blind spots on all four sides. Passenger cars that linger in these blind spots are at risk of getting struck because the driver cannot see them when he or she attempts to change lanes.
Underride: The high ground clearance of a tractor-trailer poses a risk of passenger cars slipping underneath it during an accident.