Truck Driver Fails to Spot a Highway Jam from Miles Away, Plows Through

But for all the bad stuff, it does have its perks. We'll leave aside the fact that it's virtually indestructible (unless it crosses paths with a train) and focus more on the high seating position. It's like having your personal mobile observation tower from where you can spot everything that's going on on the road.

You don't have that kind of luxury from a regular passenger car, and that's partly the explanation for the overwhelming popularity of SUVs lately. However, in the wrong hands, these advantages can lead to complacency, which is precisely what happened in the video below.

It's almost like we're watching a scripted recording. Less than 10 seconds into the video, there's this highway traffic board that clearly states (with flashing lights and all) that there's an accident up ahead, the traffic is slow and caution is advised. In all honesty, nobody seems to slow down, but that's because the visibility ahead is excellent, so there's no point in doing it. After all, they said to be cautious, not paranoid.

The truck can be seen drifting a little in its lane, suggesting the driver might not be paying the required attention. When that happens, it usually means that he's on the phone, both distracted and with only one hand on the wheel. Not exactly the kind of behavior you would want from somebody in charge of a multi-ton behemoth going nearly 100 km/h (62 mph).

Then, just moments before it happens, there's the second bad omen: the radio anchor talks about an accident on a different highway. Well, maybe the truck driver was tuned in to the same station and he was paying attention to that announcement, because he clearly didn't make the most of his vantage point, failing to notice the cars stopped in front of him. How exactly could that happen, we sincerely have no idea.

He did swerve to the left and managed to reduce the impact to the first car he hit, meaning that the whole incident could have been a lot worse. The Toyota Hilux pickup that was driving behind the semi at all times (we suspect the two were together, since both were transporting construction site equipment) didn't leave enough clearance so it unceremoniously smashed into the back of the trailer. The reaction of the woman traveling in the cam car says it all: "ugh!"