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Before I get too exercised about freeway wrecks I'd want to see some statistics on how common they are in comparison to collisions on surface streets. I would predict that there are many fewer collisions per vehicle-mile on limited access highways than on surface streets.
No matter how many accidents there are, it will always be too many. Nevertheless, I question whether this is a significant problem.
Others called "BS on this, but I agree. An SUV is not a sports car, and should not be driven like one. If you're a Jeff Gordon wanna-be, your hind-end belongs in a sports car or a sports sedan, not a top-heavy truck-ish type of vehicle. People drive them because they think crash protection is what matters, when what really matters is having a vehicle that handles well and is less likely to crash to start with.
Of course others call bs on it. They own a pickup or SUV and want to pound their chest about it. They want to think they can drive a box on wheels with horrible handling characteristics like a good car. They can't. Avoidance is key to driving success. You aren't going to avoid anything in an SUV/pickup. They just plow forward with little control and really no handling to speak of. Just simple science at play, but it is the psychological part that causes these countless accidents. SUVs/pickups kill due to there lack of response. Shame there are so many of them. I do agree many of these accidents with boxes on wheels are in rain. They really are all horrible in rain and really bad in snow.
So the SUV/pickup thing is obviously bad for the statistics and it really can't be argued, but another huge issue in the US is the fact that people are not trained to drive on a highway. If you go to places like Finland and Sweden you will see how highway driving is done. People are not randomly in lanes, they are in a left lane to pass and a right lane to ride with that flow of traffic. People are more predictable. In the US it is a complete free for all on the roadways. Some folks just ride in the right lane for no real reason. I pass about 35% of the time on the right because people just sit in the left lane. They just were not trained to drive correctly. I see a lot of big pickup truck drivers sit out there because I think that is a chest pounding type thing. Look at me, look at me everyone. Sort of like loud pipes on a Harley. Some people want that to get attention because they didn't get much as a kid or something.
We need to train people better and educate folks how to drive slower with SUV's and Pickups. For the most part those two types of vehicles should rarely be in the left lane for passing.
I get the impression that most wrecks on interstates are near big cities and in other high-insanity areas such as California. There are other places in the USA where you can drive a few hours on an interstate at random times for 10 years and never see a single wreck. And this is where the speed limit is 70 and most people go around 80.
Crashes on the interstate are a constant occurrence here. The driving is not that easy - the road condition is often poor, there are rises and dips that obstruct your view, sweeping curves, narrow lanes, unregulated drayage trucks, high traffic volumes, stressed people, and distracted driving make it seem like a miracle that most people don't hit each other.
I have no studies to back this up; just my opinion. The #1 cause of accidents on all roads is simply: people following too closely. If everyone gave more room to the guy in front of him, traffic would flow much better and accidents would decrease significantly.
One of the biggest problems at high speeds are the SUVs and empty pickup crowd are driving those vehicles like CARS! You can't drive them like a car, they are horrible at handling, braking and really everything. I can't tell you how many SUV's/pickups are the cause or are crashed because they just don't handle well. You can't avoid anything in them, yet people drive them like you can. If everyone was driving good cars or if they have to drive the clunky SUV/pickups, they would drive them slower and give a ton of room, there would be very few accidents on the highways.
Oh bunk! I have driven my son's Jeep, and it handles phenomenally well on the freeway! A car really would not work with his lifestyle. He requires an SUV.
Of course others call bs on it. They own a pickup or SUV and want to pound their chest about it. They want to think they can drive a box on wheels with horrible handling characteristics like a good car. They can't. Avoidance is key to driving success. You aren't going to avoid anything in an SUV/pickup. They just plow forward with little control and really no handling to speak of. Just simple science at play, but it is the psychological part that causes these countless accidents. SUVs/pickups kill due to there lack of response. Shame there are so many of them. I do agree many of these accidents with boxes on wheels are in rain. They really are all horrible in rain and really bad in snow.
You are so wrong on this. So wrong.
My son's Jeep handles far, far better in snow than my sedan. He rides higher and can kick it into 4 wheel drive.
After looking at that it reminds me why I prefer flying on long trips (500 miles +) than driving. Hopefully some were not on the way to the airport and were involved in this wreck
The number one cause of wrecks on interstates is 'speed differential' - aka - running into the back of slower traffic. This can be cause by lots of things but generally starts with people braking because of traffic blockages and with someone not paying attention or following to closely finally causing contact. Other times people change lanes without looking or signalling and cut-off or crash into other cars.
People zone out because highway driving is a 99% passive activity and there's nothing to hold their interest. Once they are distracted, they drift, fail to see merging traffic, fall asleep, etc.
The biggest reason accidents occur on interstate freeways is because people insist on following too closely and when another vehicle in front of them must slow or stop, they hit the rear end of it.
Such accidents are inexcusable. They simply result from someone wanting to go too fast. Often, the result is a traffic jam and delays for the drivers of hundreds of cars.
I have a solution to propose: Whenever someone is responsible for such an accident and a traffic delay results, the state should charge their insurance $500. This money could be used for road improvements or to pay officers who enforce traffic laws. I believe drivers who cause such an accident should bear the full amount of costs resulting from the collision. Compensating the driver they ran into is not enough in such a situation.
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