Drive Pickups Safely

Understand the safety difference when driving a car or truck!

Around 3 million pickup trucks are purchased and used for various reasons across the country each year. With so many light trucks on the road, the wise driver can take heed of safety precautions when driving this type of vehicle.

Pickup trucks tend to be the safer of the two vehicles in a collision with another car. This is called "passive safety." The larger size and the higher stance means the vehicle will probably suffer less damage than the smaller car. Its height also puts it on par with the bumpers of other trucks and SUVs.

However, pickups do have some disadvantages that will need to be taken into consideration in order to drive safely. Pickups have a higher rollover potential than passenger cars. Therefore, turning should be done slowly and corners shouldn't be taken like one is driving on a racetrack. According to the Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, in 2007, the most recent year from which statistics are available, rollovers accounted for 59 percent of SUV fatalities, 46 percent of pickup truck deaths and 25 percent of car fatalities. Although pickups have a lower center of gravity than SUVs, they can still rollover if driven aggressively.

Another thing to consider is the heavier weight of a pickup, which causes the pickup to have a longer stopping distance. This means pickup drivers will need to add an even greater space cushion between the pickup and other vehicles on the road to be able to avoid road hazards.

Something else to consider is that pickups are not designed to be nimble, overly responsive vehicles. They are primarily designed for hauling. That means swerving around obstacles isn't achieved as easily as it may be in a passenger car. Again, this drives home the point of leaving more space to react to the road.

Pickup drivers should also note that many pickups, with the exception of a few, are rear-wheel drive vehicles. This means that the back wheels power the forward movement of the truck. When the cargo bed is full, this can work out fine. However, when the cargo bed is empty, the front half of the truck tends to be the heavier part of the vehicle, and essentially the lighter half of the truck -- the empty back -- is pushing the truck along. On slick roadways this can cause fishtailing or poor breaking. An easy fix is to keep some sort of cargo in the bed to weigh down the rear of the vehicle, but this isn't something all drivers remember.

The height of pickup trucks (and SUVs for that matter) create blind zones in the back of the vehicle and below the front grill. The organization Kids and Cars, which works to improve child safety, says that roughly 90 children die each year when drivers back over them while they are in blind zones. Items lying in the driveway, such as bicycles and toys, may also be the victims of blind zones. Pickup drivers should be aware of blind zones and make efforts to check these areas before backing up or pulling out. Backup cameras can also provide assistance.

Pickup trucks are largely used for transporting personal belongings or for commercial purposes. They are much safer to drive when pickup owners know the particulars of truck design and maneuverability. 

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