Many trucking companies in Tennessee and across the U.S. put pressure on their drivers to deliver the cargo as quickly as possible. Sometimes, the companies offer special incentives. Sometimes, it’s simply an unwritten understanding that the drivers need to get from one place to another without losing a minute. In any case, some drivers end up speeding to make more money or to meet company deadlines.
The problem is that when truckers speed, innocent people can suffer traumatic injuries. The faster the tractor-trailer or semi is traveling, the greater the impact if it hits another vehicle. The greater the impact, the more severe the injuries and the greater the likelihood of fatalities.
At Bart Durham Injury Law in Nashville, our lawyers represent injury victims and their families across Tennessee who have been harmed by negligent truckers and trucking companies. We have extensive experience as a personal injury attorney and have recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements. Our law firm is a trusted resource to aggressively advocate for compensation for you after any truck wreck.
As The Speed Increases, So Does The Stopping Distance
According to training information from the National Safety Council, it takes a typical tractor-trailer 100 feet to come to full stop if it is traveling at 30 miles per hour. Logically, one would suppose that doubling the speed to 60 miles per hour would double the stopping distance to 200 feet. This isn’t true. It actually increases the stopping distance to 426 feet, not 200. If a truck is traveling at 65 miles per hour, the stopping distance dramatically increases again to 525 feet.
These surprising numbers mean that if a truck driver speeds even a little bit, he or she may easily miscalculate the correct stopping distance and rear-end another vehicle.