How Big are 18-Wheelers?
Fatal collisions between large 18-wheelers and smaller passenger vehicles have been rising. Crashes between large trucks and passenger vehicles overall tend to be very serious because of the vast difference in size and weight between the automobiles. In 2019, there were 129,750 Arizona traffic accidents in total with 911 being fatal and over 36,000 ending with injuries. That year, large vehicles like trucks and busses accounted for over 5% of all Arizona traffic incidents.
If you have been injured in an Arizona truck accident or if you lost a loved one in a fatal Arizona truck accident, call the Arizona truck accident attorneys at ELG. We can help you with your Arizona personal injury claim, or in the most tragic cases, your Arizona wrongful death suit. Families who lost a loved one in an Arizona truck accident have the right to sue for compensation on behalf of their lost loved one.
How Much Bigger Are Big Rigs than Passenger Cars?
It is sometimes hard to visualize just how massive big rigs are especially when compared to smaller passenger vehicles. Looking at the numbers though, it is easy to understand why crashes between large trucks and smaller passenger vehicles are so devastating. There are various types of big rigs to compare.
If you think about a common passenger sedan that you see on the road like a Toyota Camry, you can use this as a baseline to understand just how much bigger these large trucks are. A Camry is 16 feet in length versus a combination truck that comes in with a length of 74 feet long. Combination trucks are over four times longer than an average passenger sedan. When you compare weight, the difference is even greater. A Camry can be up to 3,500 pounds at it’s heaviest, but a combination truck can be upwards of 80,000 pounds. The combination truck weighs over 22 times more than the Camry.
A combination truck is certainly huge, but even bigger are the longer combination vehicles. These mega trucks can be towing as many as three trailers with each trailer being as long as 28 feet. A truck that is towing three trailers is referred to as a “triple.” The longest triples on the road are a substantial 105 feet. Because these vehicles are so large and pose such increased threats on the road, only 23 states allow them to pass through and travel about.
In Arizona, the maximum vehicle height that is allowed on the roads is 13.5 feet, and the maximum width of a vehicle is 8.5 feet. Trailers are maxed out at 40 feet and for motorhomes, the maximum length is 45 feet. The total length of a vehicle with whatever it is towing cannot be longer than 65 feet. While Arizona is a state that allows triples, a fifth-wheel trailer that tows up to three trailers must not be any longer than 65 feet in order to be road-legal.
Contact a Phoenix Truck Accident Attorney Today
Call the Spanish-speaking, bilingual Phoenix serious injury attorneys at ELG if you have been injured in an accident with a large truck. You can discuss your Phoenix truck accident with one of our highly talented Phoenix personal injury attorneys during a free consultation by calling (623) 877-3600.
