Understanding Why Truck Accidents Are More Severe than Car Accidents

Key Points:

• Size and Weight Impact: In a car crash, the larger size and heavier weight of a truck can lead to more severe damage and injuries.
• Longer Stopping Distances: A truck needs more time and distance to stop due to their weight, which increases the risk of rear-end and multi-vehicle accidents.
• Maneuverability Issues and Blind Spots: It’s more difficult for cargo trucks to detect other vehicles and avoid accidents due to larger blind spots than the average car and difficulties maneuvering to avoid unexpected obstacles.
• Risks from Hazardous, Heavy, or Improperly Secured Cargo: The additional weight of cargo (as well as potentially hazardous materials) make accidents more dangerous, especially if the cargo isn’t secured according to regulations.

Table of Contents

How Does the Size and Weight of a Truck Compare to a Car, and Why Does this Matter in a Truck Crash?

In stark contrast to the average car weight of 3,000 to 4,000 pounds, trucks, commercial 18-wheelers, and semi-trucks weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds! This significant disparity in size and weight results in a dramatically increased force of impact in collisions between trucks and cars. A truck exerts extreme force on a car, often overriding a car’s safety features and reducing their ability to protect passengers by absorbing and redistributing collision forces.

A truck often has difficulty stopping in time to avoid obstacles, particularly under adverse conditions or at high speeds. Additionally, trucks have a higher center of gravity, which exacerbates the risk of rollovers and even side impacts. The height of a truck compared to an average car increases the risk of “under-riding,” which occurs when a car slides under a truck during a collision, bypassing the car’s safety mechanisms. Under-riding can lead to catastrophic damage to your car and may even cause fatal injuries. It’s important to be keenly aware that trucks pose a heightened danger to cars on roads due to their increased weight.

How Does the Longer Stopping Distances of Trucks Increase Auto Collisions?

There are three significant effects of longer stopping distances on the frequency and danger of a collision:

Increased Risk of Rear-End Collisions

Longer stopping distances greatly increase the risk of a rear-end collision from a truck, especially during busy highway traffic. Truck drivers cannot stop quickly enough if they do not maintain a sufficient following distance or cannot react quickly when traffic changes. A rear-end collision from a truck causes severe damage to a passenger car and may even cause serious injuries or fatalities.

Increased Chance of Hitting Unexpected Obstacles

Trucks have a harder time slowing down, meaning there are longer stopping distances and more difficulties avoiding unanticipated obstructions like stopped cars or debris. When trucks are faced with unforeseen obstacles, they have the choice to collide with the object or take evasive actions, which can lead to a loss of control and secondary accidents!

Compounded by Poor Conditions

The stopping distance for trucks is further extended by poor weather conditions (rain, snow, ice), poor road conditions (wet or icy roads), and poor vehicle maintenance (especially worn brakes or tires). In such conditions, the stopping distance can increase significantly, heightening the risk of collisions and the severity of those crashes.

Why are the Outcomes of Truck Accidents Often More Severe for Car Passengers?

The outcomes of truck accidents are often more severe for car passengers due to several key factors related to the fundamental differences in size, weight, and design between trucks and passenger vehicles. These factors include:

• Disparity in Size and Weight: The significant difference in weight between a truck and passenger vehicle means that the force exerted by a truck on a car is far greater than that of collisions between two passenger vehicles. This also means that a car is at greater risk of severe damage due to compromised structural integrity.

• Impact Force Distribution: Force distribution during an accident also plays a critical role in the severity of injuries. Due to the height of trucks in comparison to cars, a passenger vehicle runs the risk of “under-riding,” which occurs when a car goes underneath a truck. When under-riding occurs, a car’s built-in safety features are usually less effective, leading to more severe and sometimes fatal injuries.

• Longer Stopping Distances: Trucks have issues stopping quickly because they are heavy. If a truck driver encounters unexpected obstacles, they may not be able to avoid collisions, which leads to dangerous and life-threatening high-impact crashes.

• Cargo-Related Issues: If cargo is overloaded or improperly secured, it can contribute to the severity of an accident. For example, if cargo isn’t secured correctly, the cargo might shift and cause the truck to lose balance. This can result in additional hazards or obstructions for passing cars and may even lead to secondary accidents.

• Increased Risk of Multi-Vehicle Accidents: Due to the increased size and momentum of trucks, accidents with multiple vehicles are more probable, especially when on high-speed highways. Pile-ups aren’t just a one-and-done accident, either; they result in multiple impacts for car passengers, increasing the likelihood of serious injuries.

• Chance of Fire and Hazardous Material Exposure: When trucks that carry hazardous materials are involved in collisions, there is an increased risk for spills, fires, and even explosions! All of these factors can increase the danger for car passengers.

How Can the Amount and Type of Cargo on a Truck Contribute to the Danger of Collisions?

The type of cargo a truck carries significantly impacts the risk and severity of collisions. For example, a heavy or improperly secured load can extend a truck’s stopping distance and make it more prone to rollovers or loss of control. Shifting cargo can also alter the truck’s balance. If a truck is carrying hazardous materials, a collision often leads to everything from fires to explosions, which endangers those involved in the crash, emergency responders, and local communities.

The overall weight of a truck also impacts the force of a collision, which can cause more severe damages to cars and injuries to passengers. If cargo isn’t properly unsecured, it can also become hazardous debris impacting other vehicles. Although there are regulations about cargo weight, securing methods, and proper transport of hazardous materials, it’s important to understand the challenges posed by trucks to enhance overall road safety.

How Does the Higher Ground Clearance of Trucks Pose Risks to Passenger Vehicles?

Passenger vehicles, particularly smaller vehicles, are exposed to high risks due to the height of a truck. The most common collision is called “under-riding,” which is when a car slides under a truck. Under-riding bypasses safety mechanisms like airbags, resulting in severe or fatal injuries. In general, the higher clearance causes impacts that occur higher up on a passenger vehicle, which increases the severity of injuries. Because truck drivers are elevated higher than a standard passenger vehicle, they also have far more blind spots, increasing the risks of collisions with small vehicles, cyclists, and even pedestrians.

The higher ground clearance of a truck also means they have a higher center of gravity, which makes them more prone to rollovers during sharp turns or sudden maneuvers. The higher center of gravity makes it difficult for trucks to make emergency maneuvers, which leads to more accidents. Under-ride guards are thus an important feature to improve road safety for all users.

Why are Multi-Vehicle Pile-Ups Common When Trucks are Involved?

Trucks are larger, heavier, and take longer to stop than the average vehicle, which makes them more prone to pile-ups. The dangerous impact force of trucks can also push vehicles into oncoming traffic or adjacent lanes, which can cause additional accidents. If a truck spills its cargo, the spilled goods or hazardous materials cause another layer of danger leading to multi-vehicle pile-up situations. Even worse, the high center of gravity of trucks increases the risk of rollovers that can block multiple lanes of traffic and increase the chance of pile-ups.

Because trucks typically use highways and interstates defined by high speeds, limited visibility, close vehicle proximity, and lack of maneuverability, drivers have more difficulty reacting to traffic changes or obstacles, which increases the risk of pile-ups. More stringent safety measures and practices can prevent accidents and multi-vehicle pile-ups.

How Can Truck Maneuverability and Blind Spots Increase Crash Risks?

Because trucks are difficult to maneuver and have more blind spots than the average passenger vehicle, they face significant risk of crashing. The limited maneuverability of trucks makes it more difficult for the driver to respond to traffic changes, navigate tight turns, and avoid unexpected obstacles, making collisions more likely. The “no-zones” around the front, back, and sides of a truck are blind spots that make other vehicles invisible to the truck driver. No-zones cause difficulties with changing lanes, merging into traffic, and making turns, which raises the probability of collisions. Maneuverability issues and extensive blind spots thus pose higher crash risks and necessitate that truck drivers and other road users exercise caution and awareness.