Large trucks are involved in more fatal crashes than any other type of vehicle per units of travel. Large trucks are involved in about 384,000 crashes every year. About 4,100 of these crashes are fatal for one of the parties involved in the accident.

Clearly, when it comes to large truck accidents, the trick is to prevent them. That's why crash prevention technology for large trucks (link to article), which has been shown to decrease the incidence and severity of large truck accidents, is such a promising development.

The most promising of these new prevention technology features fall into four main categories:

1. Side view assist
Many crashes involving large trucks are caused by lack of vision, which causes truckers to hit cars in their 'blind spot.' Side view assist technology, which uses cameras or radar to give truck drivers better visibility on the sides of their trucks, helps prevent this type of accidents.
2. Lane departure
Many large truck crashes are caused when drivers get drowsy and drift out of their lanes or into oncoming traffic. Lane departure technology which uses sensors to determine the placement of a truck alerts drivers when they are drifting out of their lane.
3. Stability control
Many of the worst large truck accidents involve a truck jackknifing or rolling over into other cars. Advanced stability control, which automatically stabilizes and steers a truck that is sliding laterally, can prevent or mitigate many large truck rollovers and the injuries they cause.
4. Forward collision warning
Using a detection system that can anticipate impending collisions before they happen, these warning systems can help prevent or mitigate accidents. Some systems warn the driver of an oncoming wreck, while others automatically steer or brake to prevent it.

As Manhattan auto accident attorneys, we have the unfortunate job of dealing with many fatal and non-fatal New York car accidents that involve large trucks. We hope these new crash prevention technology features for large trucks (link to article) are just the beginning, and that in the future there will be many more on-road safety features to prevent serious car accidents.