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Jackknife Truck Accident Research Paper

409 Words2 Pages
A jackknife truck accident occurs when a tractor-trailer brakes too hard on a slippery road. This can happen in one of two ways. When the trailer wheels lock up, the trailer wants to continue sliding down the road past the tractor. This causes the back of the trailer to fishtail about the trailer hitch. Meanwhile, the tractor is braking without skidding. If the truck driver fails to recover from this, the back of the trailer will continue to fishtail forward while pivoting on the hitch until it forms the classic V with the tractor. Note that slippery conditions can mean snowy, icy, and even wet roads.

The second way that jackknifing occurs is when the tractor's wheels lock up, which causes the tractor to pivot about the hitch while the trailer
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