With the recent heavy snowfalls and the huge traffic problems they’ve caused, a lot of blame has been placed, through social media especially, on the drivers of the big rigs, the 18-wheelers. They’re accused of driving too fast, kicking up too much snow, and causing massive pileups including the most recent, 100-plus vehicle snarl near Zeeland.
Former big-rig truck driver (and former news director) Jim Gifford said some level of that criticism is probably warranted, though he adds both passenger vehicles and trucks share responsibility for safe driving. He notes that inexperienced or overly aggressive drivers are creating dangerous situations when they have too much confidence in their ability to stop or slow down.
“And that’s the problem with the big rigs, too, with the with the the 18 wheelers. It takes them — on a good day — it takes them several football field lengths to come to a complete stop if they’re doing the speed limit,” said Gifford.
The statistics back up Gifford’s belief. In the winter of 2023-24, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said there were 22,713 winter weather crashes in the state, including 36 fatal crashes. The most common causes of those crashes was travelling too fast for conditions, followed by being unable to stop their vehicle within their intended distance.
Gifford said when it comes to the big rigs, it’s best for other motorists to stay back, avoid cutting in front of trucks, and if necessary, use an exit to stay safe.
“If you’ve got one barreling down behind you or just riding your butt in weather like this, I don’t know what you can do except try to get out of the way. I’d even get off at an exit if that’s the situation and just get out of that situation.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation advises when driving around big rigs, follow some simple rules: Stay out of the blind spots, pass safely and always on the left, stay in your lane and slow slightly when you’re being passed, don’t cut in front of a big rig, avoid tailgating, anticipate wide turns, and be patient — it takes the big rigs longer to slow down and longer to speed up.
