With today's high-pressure economy, where everything needs to be instant, truck drivers are put under enormous amounts of pressure, oftentimes in an attempt to save time and meet quotas. You see, to these big trucking companies, time is money. And sometimes money can be worth breaking a few rules. And a few broken rules may damage or take a few lives. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, thousands of motorist are killed each year by large trucks -- those weighing more than 10,000 pounds. 18-wheelers, semi-trucks, tractor-trailers and semis fall into this category. In 2003 alone, large trucks accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 4 percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes.
Some of the most common causes of trucking accidents are:
* Tire Failure * Speeding * Sleepy drivers * Fatigue caused by strenuous schedules imposed by trucking companies * Brake failure, brake over-heating * Faulty mechanical components. * Poor safety and road-worthiness tests performed on the trucks.
New regulations require that truckers drive no more than 18 hours a day and require time in the sleeping compartment be logged. Of course this doesn't mean that they always follow these laws. Drivers are often asked to work beyond these hours, and silently told? or out-right told through the companies? stipulation of speed and quick transport: ?This load needs to be there by ?X? day, or there will be consequences.?
Other than driver error, often it is the actual rig that malfunctions or fails causing 18 wheeler accidents. Some examples of potential failures are brake failure or malfunction, faulty mechanical components and disproportioned loads.
All of these things make these 80,000 Lb. vehicles a potential danger on our roadways, when there are not proper measures taken to ensure no failures are in the immediate future. Also there needs to be more monitoring by the company and new policies that may decrease the companies? profit a bit, but allow drivers to drive safer, by being well-rested and in perfectly maintained, perfectly manufactured trucks.
There are a lot of reasons why investigation is performed when it comes to accidents. Every accident has a cause, and every cause of an accident carries a liability, especially when there is major property damage, or even major injuries from an accident.
Transmission's that fail need to be tested and examined by professionals to see if there was any flaw in the design. Same with engine manufacturers. In case of finding such a flaw, there me be pursuits of litigation under lemon laws and other liabilities upon the faulty party. Often an investigator may say a tire was to blame, and while as often as it is the case it is not. Tires get blown in collisions.
In major accidents, especially ones resulting in fatality, a forensic investigator may be brought in to examine the wreckage, to determine these failures, and to help in the pursuit of mechanical liability should there be any.
All of these things make these 18 wheelers a potential danger on our roadways. However, they can be avoided in many cases, if the trucking companies would enforce proper methods and procedures for safe trucking. This may slightly impact the bottom line of the trucking companies, but in the long run would save many lives. And after all, who can put a value on life!
Most of us think the driver of an 18-wheeler is a professional driver, and you'd be right most of the time. However, even if the semi truck driver follows all of the rules of road, there are other laws that come into play such as mechanics, physics and visibility, which apply differently to cars. In addition, although technically a professional driver, they may not be professional when it comes to road safety and courtesy. An 18-wheeler accident can result and most likely the car driver, not the trucker, will be injured or killed.
Do you drive defensively around an 18-wheeler truck? If not, you should! 18-wheeler safety should not be taken lightly. Considering the limitations of those vehicles, you need to drive defensively to avoid an 18-wheeler accident.
Tailgating Is Taboo
Tailgating is something that every driver has done in his or her lifetime -- but the worst place to do it is behind an 18-wheeler.
Even with many mirrors the truck driver can't see you. Another reason is that you can't see beyond the truck you're following. If the truck driver is forced to suddenly apply his brakes because a car veers into his lane, or for any other reason, guess who could become a pancake dripping off his mud flaps? Yes, the car tailgating behind him.
Stop, Stop, Stop
The law of physics comes into play when a 100,000-pound 18-wheeler has to come to a stop as quickly as possible. Even with air brakes, don't expect a semi truck to stop as readily as smaller cars going the same speed. The forward momentum is too great to allow the much heaver truck to stop, often resulting in an 18-wheeler accident.
If a fully loaded 18-wheeler is going 55 mph on flat, dry terrain, it will travel the length of a football field between braking and stopping. It's like an out of control missal shooting down road and if you're in the car ahead of this missal you may be involved in an 18-wheeler accident. If you're injured or even killed, then the services of a truck accident lawyer may be needed.
Wide Turns And Road Hazards
Wide turns are a given for 18-wheelers, it's a requirement because of the length of their vehicle. But even then, a truck may turn even more widely than necessary. Stay back and always be alert for truckers' turn signals and wide turns. After all, it's better to be safe than be involved in an 18-wheeler accident.
Another road hazard can be a sudden tire blowout. Those 18 tires take a heavy beating while carrying loads of up to 80,000 pounds. If a tire blows out, it can hurl slabs of rubber like a cannon. You don't want to be near such catastrophic missiles, keep a safe distance to avoid such an accident.
The above factors don't even take into account some semi truck drivers are simply bad drivers or rude. Just like car drivers, they may become distracted or impaired by drugs/alcohol, and if they are, their margin for error is even more reduced.
You should treat 18-wheelers differently than other vehicles on the road. You should always drive defensively, but even more so when you're around these large semi trucks.
That means use common sense -- no cell phone dialing, texting or attending to personal grooming. Also, don't get too close, whether you're behind, in front or beside a semi truck. If you decide to pass, do so promptly, don't linger along side where the truck driver's vision may be limited, resulting in an 18-wheeler accident.
Both Laurie Williams & Christine Okelly are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Laurie Williams has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cars, SEO Articles and Motorola Cell Phone. Laurie Williams is an Internet Marketer specializing in the professional services industry. For articles and information, visit the site to