Driver carelessness. If driver is momentarily inattentive, they may not see a trailer that has been inadequately pulled to side of road, or a trailer that is across highway as result of a u-turn or a wide turn in case of a truck entering a roadway.

The positioning of truck may cause a trailer underride accident.

Road conditions. Slick road conditions increase stopping time for a car approaching a tractor trailer underride situation.

Surrounding (ambient) lighting which can reflect off of truck and cause truck to blend in with its surrounding, forming a sort of accidental camaflouge, especially on a silver truck. In fact often reflective red/oraqnge colors match neon lights from surrounding businesses.

Road lighting. A lack of road lighting can make it very difficult to see outline of tractor truck's trailer. Especially a dark colored trruck trailer such as a dark blue, brown or black trailer. This makes it nearly impossible for driver of passenger car to see truck in time to stop and prevent a trailer underride.

Dirty tractor trailers case accidents. When dirt collects on reflective tape, it becomes inefficeint at reflecting light and loses its protective warning qualities. Frequent washing of truck is a must to give passenger car driver a chance to prevent a side underride accident with tractor trailer!

What is most common danger that creates a Tractor Trailer Underride Accident?

Truck driver making a u-turn or a wide-turn. This is not a sudden u-turn. Rather, this is a situation where often truck has made it already half way around. In fact, cab of truck is often facing oncoming traffic. That fact makes it even more deceiving to oncoming traffic, since they belive that truck is already facing them, with trailer straight behind it, rather than reality - with tractor truck's trailer stretched across oncoming car's path of transit.

speeding, running off road travel out lane failure to yield

But at root of those causes of heavy truck accidents is often driver fatigue.

"The Safety Board investigated 113 single-vehicle heavy truck accidents in which driver survived. However, because 96-hour duty/sleep history that was required for study was not available for 6 drivers, 6 accidents in which these drivers were involved were not included in study. The study, therefore, analyzes data from 107 single-vehicle heavy truck accidents."

Based on results of analysis, NTSB determined that fatigue is a key factor in heavy truck accidents, that hours of service regualtions are a key to preventing heavy truck accidents, that improved education of heavy-truck drivers is important in implementing improved safety about fatigue,

How is cause of a heavy truck accident determined?

Inspect heavy truck including mechanics, tires, brakes Interview witnesses Review police reports Obtain weather report and determine driving conditions

What to do if you were in a heavy truck accident?

When a person is injured or killed in a heavy truck accident they may be able to hold driver and heavy trucking company responsible, as well as companies on whose bahlf a delivery is being made. The damages may include: Wrongful death Physical pain and suffering, mental anguish and physical impairment; Medical and hospital expenses Wage loss and lost earning capacity

Michael Monheit, Esquire http://www.monheit.com/truck <Back to Page 1