Semi Drags Car for 16 Miles

[Denny]

When I read this story, I immediately thought of our commissioner, he being a professional truck driver:

Semi Truck Drags Minivan For 16 Miles In Snowblind Nightmare Crash

Wintertime driving in any kind of adverse conditions has always just terrified me.

[Matt]

I saw that story and was just amazed. How do you not realize you have a minivan hung up under your trailer. I understand that maybe visibility in the mirrors was limited, but how can you not feel the change in handling that had to have occurred? How did you not feel the impact? I was rear ended at a stop sign by an SUV about 4 yrs ago and the impact was like that of a bomb going off.

At any rate, it will be an interesting conversation between the driver and his company safety director.

I made a habit of getting off the road when conditions got bad, particularly where the population density and traffic was higher. I could run all day in the plains states or west when it was snowing, but anywhere east of the Mississippi if it got bad I tried to shut it down. Too much bad can happen. Was never my ability I was worried about, I just never wanted to be responsible for that mother in a minivan who might lose control in front of me.

[Denny]

I figured he attributed the different handling to the snowy conditions.

I think drivers in general (cars and trucks alike) are not cautious enough when visibility or traction gets bad. Maybe we all need to go through simulator training like airline pilots, to understand how the vehicle's handling etc. changes.