Truck Versus Car Incident - Who Was Wrong, & Could It Have Been Avoided?

Why does just one of them have to be at fault? They both were in the wrong.

I agree, it's obvious the trucker was not keeping a safe following distance. Also that the VW should have been able to move back right faster than the truck could have slowed enough. Yes the driver was on the phone. His reaction to the accident seems to come after he is tangled with the VW. Unfortunately, every day I see truckers driving to fast and or tailgating. If you have ever gone from 85 South to 77 South in Charlotte, you would see a turn that I am amazed more trucks don't roll over on. It's a down hill tightening turn as you go through it.

Yeah, I watched it a few more times and I agree that the car could also have moved back right to avoid. On the other hand, they were coming up on a slow truck in the right lane so the car may have been focused on that and thinking that they were clear of the truck.

There is a bottom line principle that all drivers should avoid accident situations. That puts some blame on the VW driver. But the Pete driver was a macho idiot. I wish we had the next :60 seconds when the 4-wheeler got out, came back popped the 18 wheel driver in the snout. He deserved that.

But as noted, the V-dub should have yielded out just to possibly save lives.

That was hard to watch. I'm not a lawyer so not sure who's at fault but correct me if I'm wrong but i thought there was a law that said if you brake check a semi as a car you are automatically at fault.

And i thought they made it because moronic people were doing just that to collect insurance money. Maybe it was just a rumor or something.

On the bright side i was pleasantly surprised that the car used it's blinkers. Way to go!

Before we start applying blame we need to know the state and the rules of the road for that state. Then we can discuss the appropriate action against either driver.

Through out the entire video we could take sections of time and find fault with either driver.

I don't agree with the adage that a truck driver is the professional so should be held to a higer standard, a driver's license is a privilage not a right and anyone using the roads should act accordingly. Unfortunately the driving test is some states is nothing more than a political get them in and out so that the politicians can keep their job. I often heard my daughter's friends and parents complaining about how long they had to wait to get a test date. While waiting for my daughter to take her writen drivers license, I spoke with a commercial examiner who complained about them having to meet certain numbers.

So I would say that who ever was at fault at first takes the entire rap, but really they both should be accountable for reckless endangerment to the other users of the road. This incident turned out with no know injuries, but could easily be worse, and evolved innocent drivers.

I'm leaning here even tho my "unlimited" internet connection is getting throttled and the video is hard to watch....

Why does just one of them have to be at fault? They both were in the wrong.

Looks like the mating dance of jerks to me.

I'll admit, the vw driver made a bone head move, so yes, they are both at fault, because after thinking about it, the vw driver also pressed the issue by continuing to try to take the lane, even though it was clear that it wasn't going to happen.

However, when you get a cdl and climb behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler, you are taking the responsibility that you are going to be the professional, and you are going to try to be better than the other guy.

It's our duty to be watchful of people like this and yield when you know they are going to try to cut in front of you.

This driver saw what was happening and instead of slowing down, decided to try and hold his place by pulling off onto the shoulder, and never seemed to slow down...even though he was on the shoulder. It wasn't until you hear the tires rubbing up against the vw that the truck driver starts to slow down. He had a good 2 or 3 seconds before contact that he could have hit the brakes.

Then the vw ends up sideways in front of the truck. It's a good thing the tires of that vw didn't catch on a crack or pothole in the road, or it would have flipped that car.

Then, when the car moves back to the side, you see the truck lurch. Not sure if that was from hitting the guard rail, or his drive tires running up on the side of the car.

Point is, had the driver yielded, this whole thing could have been avoided.

Believe me, I'm not one who really approves of how these 4 wheelers act out here. It's horrible, but, if you can avoid an accident, and you don't, I put that on the truck driver

Mark time with the white lines in the center of the lanes, and try to decide if the driver sped up or not. I don't think so. He just wasn't going to have his toes stepped on by another 4 wheeler that day. Also, what is the legal safe following distance?