Kentucky sees quite a bit of commercial vehicle traffic. Not only do regional transportation companies move goods back and forth across the state, but there are also highways that run through Kentucky, bringing commercial traffic from elsewhere.
There are very few roads that don’t at least occasionally see commercial vehicle traffic. Big trucks will use interstates and surface roads to reach their destinations as efficiently as possible. I-75 in Kentucky runs north to south across the entire state, which means it sees quite a bit of commercial traffic. Unfortunately, it is also a location where a significant number of commercial vehicle collisions occur.
Why is I-75 so dangerous?
Heavy traffic and changing infrastructure
The Kentucky state government has recognized that I-75 is one of the most dangerous roads in the state for some time. There have been multiple large-scale construction projects meant to expand I-75 to make it more capable of handling the high density of traffic that uses this interstate. Unfortunately, the construction required for those projects inevitably contributes to overall crash risk, as reduced lanes and visual distractions can lead to wrecks.
Big commercial trucks forced to share the roads very closely with smaller passenger vehicles are more likely to collide with those passenger vehicles if something goes wrong. From visibility issues caused by the large blind spots around the vehicles to sudden maneuvers to avoid someone who swerves into the lane in front of the truck, there are countless reasons why someone following the law on I-75 could end up hurt in a collision with a large truck.
The crashes that occur involving semi trucks on I-75 are often so severe that the police may close sections of the highway down, sometimes backing up traffic from Ohio to Kentucky or vice versa. While drivers in Kentucky can’t completely avoid I-75 while traveling throughout the state, they can make safety their top Focus while on this dangerous road.
Giving commercial vehicles more space and choosing to take other routes when the weather is bad or the traffic is heavy could help you avoid being one of the people to experience a commercial truck collision on I-75.