One of the most dangerous types of accidents that you can get into on the road is a truck underride accident. Underride accidents are among the most deadly accidents to occur. It’s important to know about these potentially lethal accidents, what they are, how they happen and most importantly, how to avoid getting into one yourself when you find yourself driving near a big truck on the highway.
What Exactly is an Underride Accident?
Underride accidents occur between a large truck and a smaller vehicle. These types of accidents occur when a vehicle behind or next to a truck slides underneath the larger vehicle and is subsequently crushed. Unfortunately there is a very low chance of survival in one of these accidents and those that do survive are often horribly injured. Furthermore, the driver of a commercial truck can do little to minimize the damage to other vehicles once the collision begins, and so there is little chance of saving the occupants of the smaller vehicle that is involved.
Causes of Underride Accidents
Thankfully for drivers of smaller vehicles, there are a few distinct things to look out for to avoid an underride accident.
Trucks Moving Slowly or at Irregular Speeds
Most of us are used to seeing big trucks on the highways and when they are traveling they are moving at high speeds. However, a slow moving or stationary truck can be intimidating at first and it can be hard to judge where to move to. If the truck is merging onto the freeway or simply moving at a slower rate of speed, simply drop back and give it the space it needs to maneuver and wait until it is safe to either pass the truck or stay out of its way.
Trucks Without Side Rails
Big trucks are generally required by law to have some form of protection from vehicles sliding underneath them. These guard rails are present on the back and sides to keep a vehicle from going underneath and getting caught or being damaged. Not all trucking companies use these precautions and rules can vary by area as to their necessity so if a truck is missing these guards, keep your distance and let them go on their way to avoid a potential incident.
Trucks That Are Turning
One of the most common causes of an underride accident is a smaller vehicle that gets caught in the side of a big truck while it is turning. Even though they travel at high speeds, when one of these vehicles goes to make a turn, it is often very wide and can take a bit of time to complete. Many drivers tend to misjudge this or don’t look far enough ahead and can end up underneath the side of the truck.
Always give space when a truck is making a turn and wait until the turn is complete before resuming at full speed. For this same reason, it is always a good idea to avoid tailgating a big truck or riding alongside the truck as sudden changes in movement are possible and if you don’t have enough time and space to react, it is easy to end up in an accident.
Our best piece of advice to avoid an underride accident is to always keep your distance from a big truck and only pass when you are sure you can get ahead of the vehicle. Otherwise, stay a few car lengths back and try to avoid getting close to them. We hope these tips help you to avoid an accident the next time you are on the road with a big truck.
