Originally Posted by catmcclure
My car weighs in at about 4500 pounds. At 65 to 70 mph it takes 350 to 450 feet to stop the car.
A semi (loaded) can weigh in at 80,000 pounds (or more). At 65 to 70 it takes more than 1000 feet to stop the semi.
On weight alone in an accident the truck outweighs my car 20 to 1. Bad odds all around.
That's why you shouldn't pull into the "safety zone" a trucker leaves between themselves and the traffic ahead of them.
Give 'em room, give 'em respect and keep your lights on low beam.
and an EXCELLENT reason why overloaded log trucks should NOT tailgate while exceeding the speed limit!.... they follow so close that you can't even slow down to pull off the road and let them by (which is what DH does every time he can).
We won't even bring up the drivers who don't even have a license or insurance.. or the ratty condition of the log beds, or the tires left all over the highways and backroads ...