Your primary safety goal out on the road is probably to avoid any kind of collision. Of all the kinds of wrecks that you could get into, there’s little question that a crash with a commercial vehicle would be among the most devastating possibilities. The difference in size between your vehicle and a semitruck will mean massive damage to your vehicle and the potential for life-altering or fatal injuries.
To successfully minimize your risk of a commercial crash, you have to have a realistic understanding of why they occur. Learning about the main causes of commercial vehicle crashes can it help you reduce your risk of experiencing one or at least of causing one.
How might you cause a commercial vehicle collision?
Sometimes, people in passenger vehicles are the ones who actually caused commercial collisions. There are several ways that you could increase your risk of causing a serious wreck with a commercial truck. Driving in a truck’s blind spots, such as directly behind it or next to the trailer on either side, could increase your risk of getting hurt when the trucker maneuvers.
Improper merging is also a significant concern. Commercial trucks take longer than other vehicles to change their speed, so they won’t be able to quickly slow down if you merge without leaving enough space or while traveling too slowly.
How do commercial drivers cause crashes?
Commercial drivers can make mistakes at the wheel just like anyone else might. In fact, in crashes where the commercial vehicle is at fault for the wreck, 87% of the time the driver is the one responsible.
The top commercial driver mistake involves making the wrong decision. They might drive faster than they should, given the weather, or drive too closely to another vehicle, meaning that they can’t stop in time. Recognition errors are another concern. They involve inattentive drivers and those distracted by something.
Performance issues, like losing control of the vehicle or panicking, are another top cause. Finally, non-performance due to a driver falling asleep or suffering a medical issue contributes to thousands of crashes each year.
