Apr 30 2016
Are Trucks Carrying Empty Loads Dangerous?
If you’re driving by an 18-wheeler carrying a full load, you might be safer than if you’re passing a big rig with an empty trailer.
According to a recent study in Australia, researchers found that trucks with empty trailers pose a risk of a rollover crash due to handling problems related to “trailer sway.” Furthermore, truck drivers are relatively inexperienced in handling a big rig with an empty trailer, according to researchers.
Curtin-Monash Accident Research Centre in Western Australia released the findings, according to a report in Phys.org. While the research was conducted down under, our attorneys in Bucks County and Philadelphia hope trucking companies across the United States consider the findings and look for ways to avoid accidents involving tractor-trailers with empty loads.
It’s critical for truck drivers and their employers to put safety first – always. As experienced attorneys who have handled truck accidents, we know that collisions between small cars and heavy commercial vehicles are among the most serious road crashes. Occupants of the smaller cars often are seriously injured or die as a result of the impact. A fully loaded trailer can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. Big rigs, even when they’re unloaded, weigh on average about 30,000 pounds. Regardless of whether the truck is loaded or empty, the forces involved in a crash with a small, 4,000 pound vehicle are significant, and the smaller vehicle will bear the brunt of the damage.
Flager & Associates One Northbrook Corporate Center 1210 Northbrook Drive, Ste. 280 Feasterville-Trevose, PA 19053 Phone: (215) 953-5200 Fax: (215) 953-5214
