All About Law

Snow and ice on trucks is a big problem. It can especially be an issue for long-haul truckers who come from warm locations and who drive across the country. Truckers who are used to dealing with snow know what is expected of them, while truckers who are from warm weather locations may not be as familiar with encountering snow. The bottom line, however, is that every trucker needs to understand when a vehicle must be cleaned up and needs to take steps to get the snow and ice off the big rig in order to prevent Kansas truck accidents.

Snow and Ice Present a Risk to Truck Safety

Trucking Info reports that cold-weather states are increasingly recognizing the threat that snow and ice present on the roads. States have thus begun to pass laws mandating that snow and ice be cleared from trucks before trucks get onto the road.

One proposed bill, for example, would give law enforcement authorities the opportunity to stop trucks if the law enforcement officer believed that snow or ice accumulation on the truck posed a threat to property or persons. The language of the bill imposes an affirmative duty on the driver of any vehicle weighing 48,000 pounds or more. Drivers of such vehicles must “make all reasonable efforts to remove all accumulated ice or snow from the motor vehicle.” Drivers would be fined for snow or ice accumulations on trucks, regardless of whether it came lose. However, if snow or ice fell from a moving vehicle and hit another car or pedestrian and caused serious bodily injury, the driver could be fined up to $1,000 for each offense.

Bretz & Young Injury Lawyers
Sedgwick County
3 Compound Drive
Hutchinson, KS 67502
Phone: 620-662-3435
Fax: 620-662-3445

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Every truck accident in Orange County is dangerous because commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, significantly outweighing passenger cars with an average weight of around 5,000 pounds. However, there are certain kinds of truck crashes that are especially high-risk and that may be more likely to occur than other crash types.  Truckers need to be aware of the common types of truck accidents so they can drive more carefully to avoid endangering motorists.

Common and Dangerous Types of Truck Accidents

Recently, ABC News reported that a big rig collided with a sedan on a highway in California and the big rig rolled over. Major injuries were sustained in the crash.

Rollover accidents like this one are very common, as rollovers are one of the leading cause of fatal and serious truck crashes.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a paper warning that rollover crashes involving large trucks were disproportionately likely to be deadly accidents. Of the truck crashes involved in the study, 18 percent involved a vehicle rolling over. However, 35 percent of the deadly accidents involved a vehicle rolling over.

Trucks are more likely than other kinds of cars on the road to roll over due to the fact trucks are top heavy and have a high center of gravity.  If the truck’s load is unbalanced, this exacerbates rollover risks.  Drivers are also more likely to roll over when traveling on a curved path and when they either go too fast around the curve or hit the brakes suddenly around the curve.

Law Office of Daniel C. Carlton
4621 Teller Avenue, Suite 200
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Phone: 949-757-0707
Fax: 949-955-0252

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