Who Causes Most Of The Semi-Truck / Car Accidents?

[Doc Tinker]

What is the biggest cause of accidents between trucks and cars?



Is it the truck drivers, tired from being on the road all day, or antsy to make more money and driving fast, or other reasons?



Or. . Is it car drivers in a fat hurry to get around the trucks, or pulling out in front of trucks to get ahead, or other reasons?



Doc

 

[MJawsman]

Only semi accident I had was when I got rear-ended in my VW Golf. It was stop and go traffic, and he just wasn't paying attention. He got out and said... "lost you under my hood". Didn't wait for the State patrol to show up either so maybe there were some things he didn't want Mr. Smokey to see??



Moral... . buy a Cummins and they're able to see you now! There's a shocker... .

 

[sdalton]

Usually driver inattention. Either on the truck driver or the car. A lot of times it is ignorant drivers driving in the blind spot of the semi driver. Blind spots play a large part.

 

[Joe G.]

This is an older news story:



http://www.coxnews.com/washington/TRUCKS.HTM



I recently saw a news story where the blame was about 80% car in car vs big rig accidents.

 

[Pit Bull]

Good question Doc. I would say it is the car drivers most of the time.

 

[Shovelhead]

I think many car drivers believe the old "if he hits me from behind it's ALWAYS his fault" line.

Guess what? That line doesn't work.

It should be required that every new car driver has to spend 8 hours in traffic in a "Rig" to get a clue on what they're up against with all the "Me First" drivers.

 

[BCFAST]

Watched Peter Jennings last night... talked about a just-released study by AAA of car/truck wrecks. 5000 people died in 2000 in these accidents... and statistically, "the overwhelming majority" were the fault of the cars' driver. He didnt give an actual percentage, but the study's outcome isnt news to me! The general public just doesnt understand that an 80,000lbs truck cant stop or turn and has blind spots galore.

 

[Joe G.]

I found the later news article:



http://www.truckline.com/safetynet/news/072302_eddie.html

 

[jcarew]

Speeding Semis driving their rigs hammer down, rain or shine, with little regard for conditions or traffic. except!!!!! in OHIO they do pretty well keeping the cowboys in line. I should not paint all truck drivers with the same brush. The most skillful professional drivers seem to gravitate to Swift of Ariz. , Schneider drivers are good, Yellow freight, Werner, consolidated their are a few more but these drivers are the most obviously skilled.

 

[rich m]

trick question....

IMHO, illflem causes all of those accidents... nationwide... every day.











well, he asked, didn't he? doesn't the "smeller's the feller" rule apply here?

 

[illflem]

What rich??? Didn't ask the question but know the answer, it was on CNN just this morning. I thought Doc was just testing us on current events. Cars traveling too fast and not signaling their intention cause most of the wrecks.

 

[lgibson]

When I was a Medic all the MVA's (Motor Vehicle Accidents) with car vs truck it was the truck drivers fault.



1 Truck rear ends car which pushed car into another truck; Truck driver not paying attention.



2. Truck rear ends cars that is stopped on the highway for road construction. Signs posted two miles before the flagger; Truck driver bent down to pick up is sandwich that fell on the floor. 8 people died.



3. Trucker ran a stop sign and hit a pick-up. Driver not paying.



4. Truck makes illegal U-turn at night on a blind turn. Two cars hit it.



5. Truck runs red light and hits a CJ-5 on the drivers side. Driver of Jeep loses the job he really loved. Driver of Jeep is no longer to be a Medic. Driver of Jeep had over 20 doctors and had two surgeries, Three years of doctors and physical therapy. Yes I was the driver of the Jeep. Truck driver said and I quote "I (meaning him) was bigger and that a$$hole should have stopped for me. "



Right after my accident there was a van that ran a stop sign and a truck hit and killed him. That is the only one that I know of personaly that wasn't the truck's driver fault.



There are too many jobs needed as a truck driver, which young inexperanced operators are filling. Back about 10 years ago I would have said the cars were at fault. Remember the 70's and 80's and hearing the CB chatter. People jokeing and having fun with each other. Listen now what do you hear? Road rage. How many times have you been going along on the interstate and be going about 70 approching two trucks going 60 or so following each other. What happens when you get ready to pass them? The one behind pulls into your lane and take the next 5 miles to pass. A few weeks ago in Las Vegas a truck would not let me onto the highway from the on ramp, he speed up just to cut me off and even gave me the finger. I am in a mini van with 4 kids, my girl friend and her mother. I did not do anything to upset this driver. He was so busy trying to keep me from getting on the freeway that he rearended another car causing a 4 car pileup.



I will stop now because I could go on and on about truck drivers. I could also go on about other car drivers too. Sorry to vent, but this is a touchy subject to me.

 

[Doc Tinker]

That's all right lgibson, just think of me as your therapist - Let it all out. You're in good hands here You would have only needed one doctor, if you had me fixing you up after that accident





Doc

 

[Whitmore]

here in Wyoming we have long distances between civilization and all drivers tend to get sleepy. I have been in the Volunteer fire service for 14 years now and have rolled on prolly some 2 to 300 wrecks now and I bet that 50 % of them are a one car rollover resulting from sleep at the wheel and the other 50 % is head on collisions resulting from anyhting from icy roads to careless driving or animals on the road things like that. But the one that tic me off the worse are alchaol related ... ..... its a shame... ... ... ... . Kevin

 

[csevers]

there a lot of problems

There are alot of reason's for accidents now a days a lot of trucking companys are governing trucks slower and slower like jb hunt scheider ower trucks are getting turned down to 65 across the board do to something like 3 fatalitys in the company in the first 4 months driving a semi is a BIG responsibilty not all drivers take it serious in trucks or cars for that matter in general the public doesn't comprehend the over all trucking bussiness or the equiptment need for space to accel or deccel, turn, back up and the demands of the job. That is just what I have seen every day driving to and from work.

 

[daveshoe]

A close one !

Just out of town waiting to turn left and waiting for oncoming car. Checked rearview and 18 wheeler coming FAST. Dropped er into 2nd and floored it crowding oncoming car over . Semi passed on right . This was on TWO LANE OVERPASS right after a blind curve 45 MPH speed limit . He passed going over 60. Really can't see how he got goin that fast right out of town.

That guy just about cancelled my TDR membership . :{

 

[Wayno]

Y'all need to ride in a " Big Truck " as we call,em on the C. B. and see for your self. I do it every day. Oh ,it is so much fun. What I like the most is when some " Four- Wheeler " speeds by you, pulls in front of you, slams on their brakes to make a left hand turn,when there is nobody behind you, can't waite just a second? I see so many people each day driving with a bad case of D. W. H. U. A. !!!!!!!

 

[Skydiver]

Just happened.

Tuesday night about 8:15 pm cst. we had a real bad thunder storm that hit our town (Opelika Alabama)very sudden. Power off,no street lights & blinding rain. At the intersection of U. S. 280 & U. S 29 a semi T-boned a car with 3 riding in the front seat. 2 dead from blount trama so my fireman buddy says. I think both drivers were at fault.

3 minutes before that alarm came there was a semi on its side at I-85 just past the U. S. 280 west bridge. Truck driver not seroiusly injured said a car quickly slowed in front of him.

My message to all,Please slow down in bad weather.

Thanks ,Tim

 

[Rob Thomas]

Originally posted by jcarew

Speeding Semis driving their rigs hammer down, rain or shine, with little regard for conditions or traffic. except!!!!! in OHIO they do pretty well keeping the cowboys in line. I should not paint all truck drivers with the same brush. The most skillful professional drivers seem to gravitate to Swift of Ariz. , Schneider drivers are good, Yellow freight, Werner, consolidated their are a few more but these drivers are the most obviously skilled.

What do you base this on? Schneider and Werner drivers are fresh outta driving school, for the most part. And Yellow trucks just plain dont go fast, or else the driver would I'm sure.



Obviously more skilled? I think not.



Quote

Y'all need to ride in a " Big Truck " as we call,em on the C. B. and see for your self. I do it every day. Oh ,it is so much fun. What I like the most is when some " Four- Wheeler " speeds by you, pulls in front of you, slams on their brakes to make a left hand turn,when there is nobody behind you, can't waite just a second? I see so many people each day driving with a bad case of D. W. H. U. A. !!!!!!! Quote





Thats right, more people need to ride in a semi to see the light. I drove a class 8 and logged 1,500,000 miles without an accident, plus my 17 years driving my personal vehical on average of 45,000 miles a year, and have seen just about every moron in the country. Granted not all semi drivers are "professional" but for the most part they are. The things people do in cars is incredable, they really have no clue. I think all people wanting to get a licence, should go through a truck driving school, and learn everything about what it means to operate on our roads. Not the easy 10 question test they have to take now, like "what does a red octogon sign mean", thats BS.



After they complete the FULL course, then have to acctually RIDE in a semi truck, so they have a notion of what its like for a 80,000# 70'+ truck driver, to manuver on the roads. At the time I took truck driving school, it was a minimun of 256 class hours plus, driving skills tests. As far as I'm concerned, its discrimination, that ANYBODY can get a drivers licence, in a few short hours, and still have no idea what they're doing, and then get turned loose on the roads, good greif.



As far as speeding in a truck, yea I did it ALL the time, it doesnt make me unsafe, I am in control, and know what I'm doing. Sure it weighed alot, but I also have alot of brakes to stop it. And Ohio is just a joke, plain and simple, 55 mph, gimmie a break. 15+ mph speed differance between cars and trucks, thats not safe, speeding doesnt kill, someone screwed-up, plain and simple.



There's alot of people out there that have way more miles than me, and I hope they speak up too, cause I'm not alone on this one.



Later, Rob

 

[Wiz]

Doc,

This was just on the news this morning. The statistics show that truck drivers only cause 5% of the accidents with cars. People in cars don't realize the big rigs are harder to maneuver. Timing is everything... ... . Wiz