Wasn't ignoring it Alanovic didn't want to divert the thread but seeing as you asked..;), artic tractors and other trucks have always been a death trap for the driver, it depends on what you hit...
Hit a car/van and the truck driver is safe (unlike the car/van driver) unless the impact rolls the truck or puts it off the road into a tree or similar, the chassis is virtually indestructible and the fragility of the cab doesn't come into play, the problem comes when it's a dead stop either by immovable object or other truck...the following 30+ tons of load/body doesn't want to stop and doesn't...it's one of the reasons why i don't wear the truck seat belt, no point if it's needed there's a 99% chance too late anyway.
The big problem with European cabover trucks is that the driver sits right at the front in a very flimsy cab just like bus and caoch drivers, and i've personally known several drivers over the years who have died in Daf trucks, coincidence by being a popular purchase or something else i don't know.
As likely to be killed in an artic as a Micra, yes probably more likely, i have covered for the last 35 years 75 to 90K miles a year at work in a truck like most other long term drivers the risk must be far greater than the average Micra driver that probably covers 6 to 10K per year, the truck on 2 way roads makes a far larger and less evasive target than a car too, it all adds up.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 12 Mar 10 at 11:01
|