Trucks cannot stop on a dime

Although residents of West Palm Beach and the rest of South Florida probably recognize that large trucks hauling trailers take longer to stop than do other vehicles, the exact numbers pertaining to how much longer it takes for a truck to stop are eye-opening.

How long it takes a vehicle to stop is a function of momentum, which in turn depends on a vehicle’s weight and speed. The greater the momentum, the longer it will take to bring a vehicle traveling down the road to a stop. Therefore, heavier vehicles, like fully loaded or even empty trucks, take a longer time to stop than do lighter vehicles like the private cars most people drive.

For instance, at 65 miles per hour, it takes a truck the distance of 525 feet, almost the length of two football fields, to come to a complete stop. In contrast, a car traveling at that speed can stop after traveling on 316 feet, just over the length of one football field.

The difference is not so pronounced at lower speeds. For instance, when both are traveling at 40 miles per hour, a truck can stop within 169 feet while a car can stop within 124 feet.

If anything, these figures show how important it is for truck drivers to slow down, particularly when the rod conditions are not ideal, and also to make sure that their brakes are working properly. Furthermore, even more so than the drivers of cars, truckers need to be fully alert and prepared to stop quickly.

Given the additional stopping distance a truck needs, a distracted truck driver may cause an accident that would have been a near miss had he or she been driving a personal vehicle.

Truck drivers need to be aware that they need more time to stop and take appropriate precautions. If they do not, and if a Florida resident winds up getting hurt as a result, then West Palm Beach, Florida, truck accident injury attorneys may be able to help the victim obtain compensation.