Yes. Just like other vehicles, truck drivers can lose control of their vehicles in wet, snowy, and icy conditions. Due to their size and weight, however, truck accidents can cause much more damage than regular car accidents.
Truck drivers have a responsibility to take precautions in the winter. These precautions include:
- Slowing down
- Increasing following distance
- Avoiding “packs” of other vehicles
- Maintaining trucks and safety equipment
- Keeping gas tanks full
If a truck driver navigates winter weather without these precautions, they are driving negligently and can be held liable for any damages they cause. The truck driver’s employer (usually a shipping company) can also face liability for any accidents that occur.
What Causes Truck Accidents in the Winter?
Winter weather causes countless car accidents each year, and approximately 22% of large truck accidents are weather-related. Freezing temperatures can cause mechanical components to stall and fail, slushy and icy roads can be slippery, and truck drivers don’t always have the option to stay home and wait out winter storms.
Other causes of truck accidents in the winter include:
- Black ice – hard to detect, extremely slippery, causes truck drivers to lose traction
- Snowfall and sleet – cause low visibility, slippery roads, and mechanical problems
- Gusty winds – can knock over trucks and make maintaining lane position difficult
- Thick snow – obstructs the road and disguises ice
If you can, stay home during snowstorms and whenever the roads are snowy and icy. If you are not on the road, you will not be the victim of a truck accident, and no trip is worth your health – or your life.
Sometimes, you don’t have the option to stay home, either. When this happens, you should take winter weather precautions, as well. You should also know how to drive around large trucks.
How to Drive Around Large Trucks in the Winter
The key to driving safely around large trucks is to always give them space. In the winter, you simply need to give large trucks even more space. Stay out of blind spots, pass safely and on the left, and do not tailgate large trucks or try to cut in front of them.
If you notice a truck driver losing control of their vehicle, steer clear. Put as much space as possible between you and the large truck. This could mean changing lanes, speeding up, slowing down, or even pulling off the roadway entirely.
Keep in mind large trucks may lose control in the following ways during the winter months:
- Hydroplaning
- Skidding
- Crashing into snowbanks
- Hitting other cars
If you give truck drivers enough space, you should have time to evade an accident if you notice a truck losing traction with the roadway or colliding with other cars or objects.
Sometimes, however, truck accidents occur quickly, and there is nothing you can do. When this is the case, extra space can help you minimize the damage.
Unfortunately, you may still wind up with serious injuries and losses. Please know that you do not have to face these damages alone.
Instead, you can call the Law Offices of Charles R. Gueli to discuss your rights and legal options during a free consultation. Attorney Gueli has more than 2 decades of legal experience and can help you recover compensation for medical bills, missed wages, pain, and suffering, and other accident-related losses.
Our team is compassionate and available 24/7, so you can always trust us when something goes wrong.
If you’re not sure where to turn after a truck accident, start by calling us at (516) 628-6402 or contacting us online for personalized attention and legal advice.