If you’ve ever happened to see underride collision involving a passenger car and a semi-truck, then it’s unlikely that you’d forget it. They’re one of the scariest types of crashes that you can see out on the road. According to Crash Forensics, at least 25% of fatal truck-involved collisions result from under riding types of incidents. Crashes of this sort can be avoided.
There are two primary types of truck underride crashes. There are rear and side ones. They can occur at any rate of speed. These types of collisions often occur because a trailer or truck isn’t very visible as they move from a shoulder into an active traffic lane. They also occur when truckers slow for railroad crossings or when they attempt to get off on an exit on the highway.
Rear underride incidents
When motorists who survive such crashes are questioned about what led up to them under riding a semi-truck, they often highlight how they assumed a trucker would pick up speed faster than they did. Many also say that they didn’t notice that a truck was inoperable and that they couldn’t avoid crashing into it. Poor lighting may affect a motorist’s ability to notice a slow or stopped truck as well.
Side underride incidents
These types of collisions often occur during either extremely sunny or dark conditions. They also happen at intersections when a motorist is attempting to make a turn. Most drivers who become involved in underride incidents do so because they don’t notice a truck a nearby truck until after their car is already lodged underneath it.
Trucks that stand out the least from their background are the ones that motorists have the hardest time seeing. The sun can cause visibility issues during the daytime and an absence of lighting and reflectors can make it difficult to see a tractor-trailer at night. This is one of the reasons that federal officials have required most carriers to equip their trucks with reflective decals to make their vehicles more visible since 1993.
It’s important for Houston passenger car operators and truckers alike use an abundance of caution when operating their vehicles so that they avoid this type of catastrophic collision. A truck accidents attorney can advise you of the legal options that are available for you to pursue if you’ve been seriously hurt in this type of crash here in Texas.
