The risk of a catastrophic semi-truck crash is never greater than when the big rig is being driven in severe winter weather.
Winter weather in Illinois and Indiana can be incredibly fierce and challenging as we routinely deal with longstanding freezing temperatures; rain; snow; sleet; and ice. Today, this is an especially dangerous complication for most of Chicagoland and the entirety of the Land of Lincoln, as an unprecedented number of road construction work zones are active even during adverse weather in Project Rebuild Illinois.
For safety organizations and advocates for accident victims and their loved ones, years of experience warns us that each New Year comes with an inevitable likelihood of one or more tragic, devastating traffic crashes on our long roads and interstates, involving semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, and big rigs.
The risk of a fatal truck crash, where the trucker perishes in the crash, or where drivers and passengers in vehicles colliding with the rig die in the wreck, is unacceptably high.
Researchers warn us that bad winter weather is a significant contributing factor to traffic crashes (citations omitted):
Adverse weather conditions include fog, rain, snow, wind, and other unfavorable weather conditions, with snow and ice being two of the most dangerous factors, affecting the driver’s vision, psychology, driving behavior decisions, and even the vehicle’s controllability and other aspects. According to statistics from the United States, around 24% of crashes occur on snowy, muddy, or icy roads, and 15% of crashes happen when it is snowing or sleeting each year. Furthermore, in a typical year, winter weather conditions involving snow and ice kill over 2200 people and injure over 192,800 others in highway crashes….
Great Dangers Facing Semi-Truck Drivers in Winter Weather Conditions
Why are these large commercial trucks at such a high risk of accident in winter weather? Why are long haul truckers at such a great danger of a winter truck crash? There are several reasons.
Fatal Truck Crashes are on the Rise; Most Likely to Happen on Interstates; at Night; on Weekdays
Overall, truck crashes are known to be serious accidents. From the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in its latest Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts publication, we know regarding large truck crashes:
- Rural areas and interstates pose the biggest hazard: Fatal crashes involving large trucks often occur in rural areas and on Interstate highways. Approximately 54 percent of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred in rural areas, 26 percent occurred on Interstate highways, and 12 percent fell into both categories by occurring on rural Interstate highways.
- It is more dangerous at night: Thirty-seven percent of all fatal crashes, 24 percent of all injury crashes, and 21 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks occurred at night (6:00 pm to 6:00 am).
- Weekdays are more dangerous than weekends: The vast majority of fatal crashes (83 percent) and nonfatal crashes (87 percent) involving large trucks occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday).
- A third of all fatal truck crashes happen in work zones: 33 percent of work zone fatal crashes and 15 percent of work zone injury crashes involved at least one large truck.
- There is a huge rise in fatal large truck crashes (46% jump): There were 15.51 fatal large truck crashes per million people in the United States in 2021, a 46-percent increase from 10.6 in 2010.
Semi Truck Driving: Risks Posed by Winter Weather Conditions
Driving a huge commercial truck that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded with cargo, is a tremendous task. Professional drivers with special commercial licenses and specific training are behind the wheel. Still, their expertise may be stretched to the breaking point in the types of winter weather facing them on Illinois and Indiana roads.
Truckers must operate their rigs in the face of these deadly winter risks:
- Freezing temperatures, especially for extended periods of time, will impact the truck engines, the fuel, and the water. For instance, fuel lines can become clogged in very cold weather and the truck can stall, risking an accident or even a multi-car pileup.
- Tires can blowout when the truck is moving in cold weather conditions, causing a crash. Tires can lose air in the cold, and lower tire pressure does not help increase traction on a winter roadway. The trucker may lose control of the rig with inadequately pressurized tires. And, if tire pressure is not optimized a tire can fail – especially an older tire or one with a defective surface – resulting in a horrific crash.
- Batteries can lose power during very cold conditions.
- Deadlines may force the trucker to keep driving. Long haul truckers work on a deadline. They may not have the option of waiting a storm out: they have to get their cargo to its destination as best they can. The pressure to “keep on truckin’” increases their risk of being hurt in a truck accident, especially if the trucker is trying to keep their speed up on wintery roads.
- Black ice cannot be seen but may well be on the roads they are traveling. This invisible ice is particularly likely to accumulate on interstate bridges or shady spots on a rural route. The truck may suddenly lose all traction and enter into a skid, risking a rollover or a collision with other vehicles on the roadway. It also takes as much as ten times longer for a semi-truck to come to a stop on an icy roadway. Read, Black Ice Accidents in Illinois and Indiana: Liability for Crash Injuries.
- Winds pose a special danger for big trucks on a highway. Sudden wind gusts or steady winds can have enough power to topple a semi-truck. Even a fully loaded 18-wheeler, heavy with all that cargo, can be tipped over with a wind gust of 60 mph. Read, “How Much Wind to Flip a Truck?” published by Pretty Motors on July 14, 2024.
Truck Drivers: Staying Safe in Winter Weather
For professional commercial truck drivers, the need for special care and consideration of their trucks during cold weather is well-known. They understand things like their batteries need to be in great condition. Brakes must be carefully inspected, as well as tire treads, before taking off for their destination. Antifreeze needs to be checked often.
It’s a very complex part of the trucker’s job. Trucking involves a lot more than just driving.
Consider how necessary snow chains are for any truck driver operating a big rig along any Chicagoland interstate so they can hold traction on the slippery surfaces in snow and icy weather.
Snow Chains example
Snow chains wrap around the tires, with metal links that provide additional traction. The snow chains essentially dig their claws into the ice or snow as the truck rumbles down the road. There are no federal regulations that mandate their use, but various states do have state statutes requiring them.
Different types of commercial trucks will require two or more snow chains, with placement depending upon whether or not it is a tractor-trailer truck, how the axles are configured, etc. Different types of snow chains (link; cable; etc.) are needed for different types of trucks and tires.
The trucker needs to understand how snow chains work; the type that the particular rig needs; how to keep them maintained and when they need to be replaced; how to place them properly on the rig; and how to drive the truck in bad winter weather with snow chains on the rig.
Importantly, the professional driver makes the call on how risky it is to keep driving. Under federal law, the truck driver has the legal responsibility to decide when the winter weather conditions are so severe that it is too dangerous to keep driving the truck. See, 49 CFR §392.14.
For more, read: Fatal Truck Crashes in Icy Road Conditions: Truck Drivers’ Right to Refuse to Drive on Ice.
Justice After a Winter Weather Semi-Truck Accident in Indiana or Illinois
Commercial large trucks pose a great danger on our roads during the winter months. The collision with a large semi-truck is often the cause of more than one person being seriously injured or killed.
For anyone who has to be driving on our roadways in serious winter weather, it is wise to respect the hazards facing any big rig, 18-wheeler, semi, or tractor trailer moving at any speed. Truckers have special legal duties of care and safety when driving in bad winter weather. All other drivers on the wintery roads also have mandated obligations to drive their vehicles in a reasonable and prudent manner.
The mere size and weight of a semi-truck means that a winter truck crash is likely to be serious. The truck driver and cab occupants can be permanently harmed in a winter truck accident, especially in a rollover or high-speed crash. Any smaller size motor vehicle involved in a truck collision (SUV; pickup; minivan; sedan) is likely to have victims suffering catastrophic or fatal injuries.
For victims of truck crashes in Indiana or Illinois during winter weather storms, there are state laws providing damages to the accident victims and their loved ones. Several different parties may be liable, including:
- Trucking company
- Owner of the rig
- Owner of the trailer
- Owner of the cargo
- Road work construction contractors
- Drivers
- Truck drivers
- Manufacturers of products that fail (tires, brakes, etc.)
- Companies responsible for repair or maintenance (trucks, cars, etc.)
- Landowners or tenants responsible for premises care (dealing with accumulating snow; falling branches; bad lighting; etc.)
For more, read:
- Winter Accidents with Semi-Trucks: Driving Dangers in Indiana and Illinois
- Ice on the Roads and Fatal Truck Accidents: The Dangers of Driving on Ice
- Shifting Loads and Unstable Cargo: Dangerous Causes for Semi-Truck Crashes
- When Defective Products or Manufacturing Mistakes Cause Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes
- Semi-Truck Crashes: Who Can Be Held Legally Responsible for Commercial Trucking Accidents in Indiana and Illinois?
- What To Do After a Serious Semi-Truck Crash: The First 48 Hours
- What To Do After Serious Semi-Truck Crash: Weeks and Months Following the Accident.
Winter weather is particularly hazardous for semi-truck crashes here in the Crossroads of America. The extensive Illinois road construction projects increase these dangers. Please be careful out there!
