What makes commercial trucks so dangerous?

Many of the issues that cause commercial trucks to be dangerous relate to the massive size of these vehicles. As explained by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a fully-loaded tractor-trailer can weigh 20 to 30 times more than the average passenger car.

These vehicles are also much taller and longer than other motor vehicles. They make wide turns and cannot stop as quickly as other vehicles. Their high center of gravity makes them prone to rolling over if their drivers attempt to maneuver them too quickly, or misjudges their appropriate speed on a curve.

Tractor-trailers also have large blind spots, making it difficult for truck drivers to see and track the location of other vehicles on the road, and creating hazards for those vehicles when a truck turns or changes lanes. Finally, tractor trailers have a high ground clearance, which presents the risk of a smaller vehicle slipping beneath it during an accident, which is known as an underride.