As have discussed before, there are unforeseen dangers whenever anyone enters the road. Even if you consider yourself a safe and cautious driver, you never know about the person behind or beside you on the road. And, as safe and relatively easy it is driving in a car, driving a truck comes with a whole different set of hazards.
A truck’s much larger size and weight makes it more difficult for a truck driver to slow, stop, or swerve to avoid a potential hazard on the road. Eighteen wheelers also need to contend with strong crosswinds that may push a truck unwillingly to other lanes or into a guardrail or onto a median. Trucks are also prone to jackknifing. And as travelers on Rt. 10 near Cincinnati learned last week, the height of a truck may come into play as well.
The truck accident occurred about 9 a.m. on January 4, when a truck driver mistakenly activated her truck’s dumping mechanism, causing the trailer to rise, then strike an overhead sign. Thankfully, a major tragedy was avoided, although the roads were closed for over 6 hours while the sign was repaired. The fact remains that things could very easily have been far worse.
It is important for anyone on the road to recognize the additional hazards that trucks present on the roads. Truck accidents have a far more likely chance to cause serious or deadly injuries when involved in a motor vehicle accident. This should serve as a cautionary tale and a reminder of the chance of severe accidents whenever someone enters a car and rolls out on the roads.
Source: ABC12, “Morning big rig accident destroys overhead sign on I-10,” By Ben Spice, David Ibanez, Pilar Arias, Jan. 4, 2017