© 2013, Iron Butt Association, Chicago, Illinois Please respect our intellectual property rights. Do not distribute this
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Truck drivers hate having anyone follow them. When you are behind a truck,
you become a liability. Instead of paying attention to the road, a trucker
will start worrying about the people on their tailgate. From a bikers
standpoint, it is not uncommon for a truck tire to explode. Iron Butt veteran
and professional truck driver Mary Sue Johnson warns, "A blowout can blast off the
truck's heavy mudflap with the force of a bowling ball going 60 m.p.h."
Suzy goes on to warn that should the truck run over tailpipe or muffler in
the road, you probably won't see it until too late leading to disaster."
Additionally, if a trucker has to get on the brakes hard because of a
of something in the road or someone has cut them off, (it happens to me once
a day or more) AND you aren't alert back there, you will hit the trailer
- it happens all the time!"
Least you think this is all great theory but will never happen to you,
this real-life incident of the forces involved with truck tires comes from
the June 3, 1997 Chicago Sun-Times titled "Teen dies when wheel fly off
truck..." Two wheels broke loose from an 18-wheel semi-trailer truck on the
Eisenhower Expressway...killing an 18-year-old youth. One wheel rolled up
and over a concrete barrier and struck the sport utility vehicle in which
the teen was sitting in the front passenger seat.
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