Truck Accident: Why It's More Injurious and How to Avoid

When you travel along a highway, it is common to see huge trucks moving at a constant but fast speed towards their destination, transporting goods and items in high quantities from far off places. Yes, it is true that when compared with normal vehicles like cars, the number of trucks are much less but incidentally most of the vehicle-related accidents that occur involve a truck most of the time. According to statistics, trucks constitute only 4 per cent of the total vehicles on the street but it is involved in an accident 1 out of 10 times.

Now, this result might seem a little confusing but it does point out to a stark reality. There are many truck accidents every year and the vehicles moving or placed near them may have to bear the damages, including loss of lives. The truck drivers have long duty hours and thus indulge in drugs and alcohol in order to stay awake and this results in the loss of control. Few other reasons why trucks are involved in accidents more are-

1. Accidents can be avoided generally if the vehicle is manoeuvred properly and the brakes hold immediately. With trucks, it gets a little more cumbersome, as the brakes don't catch easily. It has been directly related to the size of the truck as the bigger it is, the more difficult is the braking capacity.
2. When a truck tries to overtake another car or vehicle, they are perpetually blinded as the size of the truck is considerable and everything is not clearly seen. So a lot of it is actually dependent on the expertise and any small mistake can have direct consequences.
3. There are some trucks which carry a lot of goods and get overloaded in such a way that the top of the truck becomes disproportionately heavy. Any slight dis-balance or tipping can result in the toppling of the truck and further accidents.

How to avoid trucks accidents?

Here are a few truck driving safety rules that you can follow easily-

1. Carefully do a thorough check-up before you hit the road- Any damage to the truck can later result in a road accident which could have been easily avoided if some basic checks were done before hitting the road. Maintain a checklist of things to be inspected like the brakes, the condition of the tires, if both the lights are functional and if the engine oil is adequate etc. Only when you get an approval of all of them, should you take a truck out to the road.
2. Obey the traffic rules- This is applicable for even a small cycle or pedestrian on the streets, so for a truck, it becomes an absolute necessity. Since most of the accidents related to trucks have a damaging effect on other vehicles or people on the way, this becomes all the more imperative. You should check both sides thoroughly before overtaking and keep the speed to minimal while taking a turn. These are the golden traffic rules that always have to be followed.
3. Use car night vision camera- A night vision system for cars is a common addition to vehicles these days and it acts as your eyes for places which are difficult to check otherwise. In the case of trucks, the rear side falls on the blind spot and the drivers can hardly see anything. Lanmodo 720p rear view camera is the perfect device for assistance against this particular dilemma. It consists of high-quality cameras that are fit at the rear end and an image of 720p gets displayed on a screen fixed to the dashboard or windscreen and you can see it clearly, even during the night. A viewing angle of 170 degrees improve its range as well and chances of accidents reduce significantly using these.
4. Do not overload- Like mentioned before, overloading can lead to the truck becoming heavier at the top and a slight stimulus can result in its toppling. So, make sure that excessive goods are not stuffed in the truck forcefully.
5. Check again after parking- Even after you have parked and want to exit the vehicles after parking, take a quick glance of the position as it might be inconvenient for others to move their vehicle around it.

Truck accidents can be fatal on many occasions and even if it is not, the repercussions are really not good. Therefore, it is important you understand the causes of more traffic accidents and look at ways of avoiding it.