There are many different reasons for semi truck accidents. The main thing you want to keep in mind is, when one of these accidents is about to happen, you don’t want to be anywhere near it. If you see an accident coming, you should make every effort to get off of the freeway, to pull over and wait well out of range of what’s about to happen or to do whatever else you have to do to get clear. Here are some things you can look for to avoid getting into one of these accidents.
Slippery Conditions
Semi trucks are at risk of having a particular type of accident called a jackknife accident. This is when the trailer starts to pass up the front of the cab and the trailer and cab end up folding up together, just like a jackknife for which this wreck is named. These accidents usually occur when conditions are wet or otherwise slippery. If you’re driving alongside a semi in these conditions, try to get ahead of it or stay behind it so that you can avoid being nearby if this is about to happen.
Braking Late
Quite a few semi truck accidents are caused when the driver doesn’t brake in time. If the driver fails to hit their brakes soon enough before they need to come to a complete stop, it’s almost impossible for them to arrest the movement of such a large vehicle. The way to avoid this happening is to make certain that you don’t set up such a situation yourself – such as suddenly turning off the road or stopping in front of a semi truck – and to make certain that you avoid truckers who seem to be going too fast for conditions.
Visibility
Even though semi trucks have excellent systems of mirrors on them – some of the new ones even have cameras – it can be very difficult for a driver to see you. Always assume that a driver behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler is having a very difficult time determining where your vehicle is in relation to theirs. For experienced semi truck drivers, this is almost never the case, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.
Give semi truck drivers plenty of room, be wary when conditions are bad and watch out for semi truck drivers who start to give you indications that they may not be good at their jobs. Doing this may well save your life.
RASANSKY LAW FIRM
2525 McKinnon Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
877-659-2527
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