Many people behind the wheel feel nervous when driving near an 18-wheeler on the freeway.
In fact, a new AAA survey found that about 60% of U.S. adults feel less safe when driving by a large commercial truck than when passing a smaller vehicle.
September 21, 2017
Many people behind the wheel feel nervous when driving near an 18-wheeler on the freeway.
In fact, a new AAA survey found that about 60% of U.S. adults feel less safe when driving by a large commercial truck than when passing a smaller vehicle.
28% of participants
18% of participants
14% of participants
About a fourth of U.S. adults say adding safety technology to commercial trucks would help alleviate their fears. According to recent research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, equipping large trucks with advanced safety technologies has the potential to prevent up to 63,000 crashes each year. For comparison, in 2015, large trucks were involved in 400,000 crashes that resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and 116,000 injuries. About a fourth of U.S. adults say adding safety technology to commercial trucks would help alleviate their fears.
AAA examined safety benefits and costs of the following 4 advanced safety technologies in both existing and new large trucks:
Monitors where the vehicle is in the lane and provides a warning the driver can hear or feel if the system senses the vehicle drifting from its lane
Applies brakes if the system detects the vehicle is in imminent danger of hitting the vehicle in front of it
Help prevent rear-end crashes by reducing stopping distance compared to traditional drum brakes
Records the operating environment and driver behavior, thus allowing a risk manager to help promote safer driving habits and discourage dangerous behavior
Researchers found that societal safety benefits of equipping large trucks with lane departure warning and video-based onboard safety monitoring systems far outweigh the costs. Researchers also found the benefits of equipping all new trucks with automatic braking or air disc brakes could outweigh costs.
Information taken from “Truck Safety Technology Can Prevent 63,000 Crashes Each Year,” September 2017, American Automobile Association.