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Truck drivers are often blamed for the damage their trucks cause by kicking up rocks. While it is true that trucks do kick up more rocks than cars, they aren’t the only ones to blame. Cars kicking up rocks is actually a very common phenomenon and can happen at any time under the right conditions. To get into why this happens to cars and why it is more common with trucks, we have to take a look at some of the physics behind road debris.
Roads have certain surfaces that they are made out of. Most roads in the US use a blacktop layer on top of a gravel base. The gravel provides a surface for cars to drive on while also providing support for the blacktop layer. The gravel base has a rough surface and is not very stable. As cars drive on the roads, they push small rocks into the gravel base. Since these rocks don’t have anywhere to go, as more cars drive by, they get pushed into the road, and larger rocks start to form.
If you hit a large enough bump, a rock could get kicked up. However, the large rocks typically don’t start flying until a truck drives by and pushes them into the blacktop layer. The blacktop is a smoother surface than the gravel base and supports larger rocks better. As a result, more of these rocks can become dislodged from cars driving on it as opposed to the gravel base. When they hit another road user, they can do damage to their car or even cause an accident.
Car drivers need to be aware of trucks on the road and slow down when one is coming up quickly behind them. Since the truck creates a larger disturbance in the gravel base layer, they are likely to dislodge larger rocks than regular cars. These rocks will fly further and potentially cause more damage to another car driving on the road or even their own vehicle.
Truck drivers can also take steps to prevent this from happening. They should avoid driving over bumps and instead stick to smooth roads wherever possible. When they do hit a bump, they need to slow down so that the rocks don’t get kicked up as high or at least have a greater chance of landing on the road instead of in a car’s path. Car drivers need to slow down when a large truck is passing by and allow them plenty of room to pass. Together, we can reduce the number of incidents caused by rocks being kicked up from trucks and cars alike.
What can truck drivers do to avoid this happening?
The primary way that truck drivers can keep rocks from kicking up, is to always make sure you have mud flaps behind at least your rear wheels of the truck. Mud flaps not only keep mud from kicking up, but also rocks. Right here is a great place to take a look at buying yourself some!
Another great way is for drivers should stick to smooth roads wherever possible. This will prevent the rocks from getting kicked up as high or at least allow them to have a greater chance of landing on the road instead of in the path of another vehicle. Car drivers also need to reduce speed when trucks are passing to allow them time to pass safely.
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What can drivers on the road do to avoid kicking up rocks?
Car drivers should slow down when a large truck is approaching and allow plenty of room for it to pass. They should also try to stick to smooth roads so that large rocks are less likely to get kicked up by their vehicle or another one. Truck drivers can slow down when driving over bumps and avoid hitting them whenever possible.
This will cause the rocks to be less likely to get kicked up, allowing them time to fall back onto the road surface instead of into another car’s path. Together, we can reduce the number of incidents caused by rocks being kicked up from trucks and cars alike. Together, we can reduce the number of incidents caused by rocks being kicked up from trucks and cars alike.
Conclusion
The main cause of road debris kicking up and potentially causing damage or accidents is due to cars driving over gravel roads that force rocks into the blacktop layer, which support larger rocks and therefore kicks up more. Car drivers can reduce this amount by avoiding bumps in the road and slowing down when trucks are passing them since they kick up larger rocks than regular cars.
Truck drivers can avoid the bumps and limit the number of rocks that they potentially cause by slowing down and also taking particular care when approaching cars on the road since they will be more likely to kick up rocks than a truck.
