Truck rear-end accidents

Below you’ll find hypothetical scenarios that depict how rear-end accidents can happen. Whether you’re a truck driver or a standard vehicle driver, it’s important to know how certain behaviors may lead to rear-end accidents.

Anything that takes your mental or physical attention from the road—even for a split second—can potentially cause an accident.

Scenario: The driver behind you looks down at their phone to read a text message. Because they aren’t paying attention, they don’t notice that you’ve come to a stop to let a pedestrian cross at a crosswalk, and they rear-end your vehicle.

Tailgating is often the cause of rear-end accidents as it leaves little room for a driver to adjust to the braking actions of the vehicle in front of them.

Scenario: A vehicle is following you too closely on the highway. You have to quickly apply your brakes when a vehicle in front of you cuts into your lane. The driver behind you hits your vehicle because the short distance between vehicles didn’t allow that driver enough time to appropriately react.

With a stopping distance close to the length of two football fields, trucks take almost twice as long to stop compared to a standard passenger vehicle. And oftentimes, other motorists enter a trucker’s front blind spot without understanding that the truck takes longer to slow down.

Scenario: You need to take an upcoming left turn, so you switch lanes and enter a truck’s front blind spot. As your turn approaches, you apply your brakes to wait for the opposite lanes of traffic to clear. The truck driver doesn’t see you and ends up rear-ending your vehicle.

Speeding limits your reaction time and increases braking distance. If you or another driver slows to an unexpected stop, excessive speed can make it difficult to avoid a collision.

Scenario: You’re driving in a construction zone where the speed limit is reduced and traffic is limited to one lane. The vehicle behind you isn’t abiding by the speed limit and ends up rear-ending your vehicle when traffic in the single lane slows to a stop.

It’s always best to increase your following distance and slow down when weather conditions cause low visibility or slick roadways.

Scenario: It’s snowing—roads are quickly becoming slippery, and visibility is low. You’re approaching a stoplight. The light turns yellow, and the car in front of you has already begun to slow down. You apply your brakes too quickly and slide forward, rear-ending the vehicle in front of you.

• Stay alert at all times

• Avoid distractions, such as mobile devices, reaching for things out of your immediate grasp, and eating or drinking

• Increase following distance (Link to new following distance article when ready)

• Adjust your speed to the road conditions—and pay attention to changing speed limits

• Slow down gradually, and avoid sudden stops

• Use turn signals early to give other drivers warning of your intentions

• Don’t abruptly change lanes in front of other vehicles

Each rear-end accident is different. Vehicle damage, injuries, and financial implications can vary depending on the level of impact. Learn more about the basics of trucking accidents.

If a truck rear-ended you—or vice versa—there are several basic steps you need to take at the scene in the immediate aftermath:

1. Make sure your vehicle is in a safe location, if possible, and that your hazards are on

2. Check on the other parties involved if it’s safe to do so

3. Help the injured to the best of your abilities

4. Call 911 to report the crash and any injuries

5. Exchange insurance information with others involved in the crash

6. Take pictures of the crash from multiple angles, and get contact information from other parties and witnesses

7. If you can, get the police report number and contact information for tow companies and others responsible for clean-up

When following these steps, make sure you and the other people involved in the crash are safe from the traffic around you to help avoid any further incidents or injuries.

The documentation you gather about the accident—like photos, witness statements, or a police report—will be vital for the claims process to be resolved quickly and fairly. With this information in hand, reach out to your insurance provider to let them know about the accident.