The most dreaded accident for an 18-wheeler is the head-on crash! A driver from Chester, PA had unloaded in Wheeling, WV. He was going to wait until he got to the truckstop to call his dispatcher. He had to unload the freight by hand and was tired but glad to be unloaded. He could not wait to take a shower and eat. 

It was his first time in Wheeling. Finding the right streets had been a problem but he thought he was in the right area. An intersection at the bottom of a hill had a retaining wall on the other side of the street to keep vehicles out of a deep gully. He slowed for his turn when a 4-wheeler cut in front of him forcing him to go straight and before he could adjust he hit the retaining wall. 

The force from the impact threw him through the windshield into the wall as he was not wearing a seat belt. He sustained tremendous brain damage. Though the car caused the accident, we can avoid these accidents by following these guidelines: 

   1.    Look for the unexpected. When driving in unfamiliar areas - reduce your speed. 

   2.    Fasten your seat belt at all times even when going short distances. You can make adjustments much easier from behind your steering wheel. 

   3.    Get proper directions from your dispatcher or local information. 

Bottom line: Knowing what to expect, transforms the unfamiliar to the familiar. 

That's the way I see it - Bob Hataway - TransAlive.