Watch Out for the Big Rigs

18-wheelers do not have the ability to stop quickly and the consequences are often death for those in other vehicles.

It’s a given that if a big rig crashes into another vehicle, the smaller of the two vehicles involved in the accident will bear the brunt of the damages. Big rigs weigh in at 40 tons or 80,000 pounds. The average car only weighs about 5,000 pounds. This is a bit like David versus Goliath.

When a vehicle that size is hurtling down the highway, it takes 40% longer for it to get stopped than it does an average vehicle. This has a lot to do with what type of load they have at the time. If it happens to be steel, add in an even longer period of time to stop.

Trucks only have ten brakes, not 18 despite what people think. However, no matter how many brakes a semi has, it still can’t stop suddenly. This is the reason that crashes are so devastating and the rationale behind many states investigating implementing driving campaigns targeted at regular car drivers who drive like maniacs around big rigs.

In Georgia, there are roughly 6,700 truck collisions yearly, resulting in close to 5,364 injuries and 235 deaths. Survivors of these catastrophic accidents often have brain damage, spinal and neck injuries, amputations, multiple fractures, and neurological disorders. These victims generally need extensive and expensive medical treatment. It is essential to hire an experienced Georgia trucking attorney to ensure personal injury damages are properly awarded.

Interestingly enough, not many people realize that nearly 60% of the time the trucker is not at fault in an accident. On the contrary, it is mainly other drivers that don’t respect the rules of the road or the space of the rigs while they’re on the same highway. A new program launched in Nevada has state Troopers hitch rides with truck drivers to see what really goes on when they’re trucking.

If a program like this was implemented in every state, it might just reduce the number of deaths as a result of a collision with an 18-wheeler. If it taught motorists hard facts about driving near a big rig, it would smarten some of them up. For instance, trucks have no-zones. This means if a person can’t see their mirrors, the trucker can’t see the other vehicle. It’s just that simple.

Seen from the other side of the wheel – inside the big truck – it puts a different spin on the real problems on the highways these days. Many of the truckers cite cars following too closely, cutting them off or being in their blind spot. No matter what the cause of an accident with a semi, the results are devastating. Hiring a skilled attorney is the best way to seek justice and an award (even a proportional one) that will deal with the lifelong injuries the victim will struggle to handle.

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