What Causes a Truck To Jackknife?
“Jackknifing” is a common term in the trucking industry. It’s a highly dangerous situation when a truck jackknifes, and it results in far too many crashes every year—many of them fatal.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) statistics show that in a recent year of study, there were over 2,000 truck crashes in which the first harmful event leading to the collision was a jackknife.
Jackknife accidents are a serious risk that drivers need to consider every time they get behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer. And because a truck jackknife is usually caused by driver error, it is considered to be among the most preventable types of truck accidents.