Pablo Luna
One of the scariest experiences on the road is being followed way too closely by a big 18 wheeler, an experience all too common for highway drivers. Why does this happen so much?
Truckers tailgate because it’s an indication they want the car ahead of them to speed up or move over. Here are a few reasons why many truckers, for better or worse (and usually for worse) do this more than other vehicle operators.
Gear Changing in Big Trucks is Insane
Most big trucks have a ton of manual gears (think 16, as compared with five in your standard four-wheel car gearbox). This means that slowing down for cars ahead is a big pain for truckers, who will have to switch down multiple gears just to drop 10 miles per hour.
It is far easier for them to maintain their speed and hope that the slower driver in front of them moves out of the way.
Big Trucks Can’t Pass in the Slow Lane
Ideally, the driver moving more slowly than those vehicles behind them will move into the slow lane. It is illegal almost everywhere for a truck (or any vehicle for that matter) to pass a car in the fast lane by moving into the slow lane, overtaking it, and then crossing back into the fast lane.
Time is Money
Most truck drivers are less concerned with having to jostle the clutch than they are about getting where they need to go. Given the space limitations of big 18 wheelers on the road and the difficulties of passing on the right legally, trucks still need to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.
Most long haulers are on a deadline, or will at least save time and money by getting where they need to go faster. As long-haul truck drivers are required to get off the road after a certain number of hours and get some rest, they often have their rest stop planned out ahead of time, which means they need to get there on time to not overdo it.
For the Environment Too?
Oddly enough, when trucks tailgate one another, it can actually create an aerodynamic effect that saves gas and proves a little friendlier to the environment, leading one company to create a “platooning” system to allow trucks to do so safely.
Nevertheless, that system never really got off the ground and, as good a driver as an experienced trucker may consider themselves, tailgating is really never ok for a lot of reasons.
Consequences of Truck Accidents
The biggest obvious issue with tailgating is that it causes accidents. Aside from potentially totaling your car, injuries from truck accidents can often be fatal.
Other serious conditions can include:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is sustained from substantial head trauma and can impact you for life
- Broken neck or spinal cord damage, potentially rendering you paralyzed
- Other broken bones, including ribs, can permanently impact mobility or at least require months of recovery
- Internal bleeding, which is fatal unless treated immediately with surgery
- Serious cuts or lacerations from broken glass or other objects that will require stitches
- Heavy painful bruising
What to Do After Being Involved in a Truck Accident
Given the huge risks involved in any truck accident, including the threat that an overturned or disabled truck poses to other cars on the road, you should definitely dial 911 after first checking yourself and your passengers for serious injuries. Unfortunately, serious injuries are likely when it comes to incidents with 18 wheelers.
Depending on the insurance laws of the state where the accident takes place, you may be dealing with your own insurance company or the drivers’. For truck drivers, oftentimes their employer or the company that owns the truck will be liable. This means that you can take legal action, particularly if the settlement offer you receive is not sufficient to cover the damage to your property or personal injuries.
Read more here to answer the question of why should you hire a truck accident lawyer if you’ve been involved in this type of accident.
