24/7 ASSISTANCE, the company that provides roadside assistance in all European countries, has warned about the dangers of ice slabs on truck roofs this winter.
It says that ice, frozen onto lorry roofs, can quickly turn into projectiles that can cause serious accidents as the vehicle warms and the ice begins to thaw.
A driver in Germany had a lucky escape recently when he braked in front of a pedestrian crossing and a sheet of ice came off the roof and landed on the road right next to a group of pedestrians who were about to cross the street. Fortunately nobody was hurt as the truck had stopped short of the crossing, but not all results are as fortunate. The fact is that falling ice slabs from truck roofs not only endanger other road users, they can in the worst case even cost lives. The following advice from 24/7 ASSISTANCE is intended to help drivers and operators avoid such accidents which can, as well as being dangerous, can result in fines or even imprisonment.
Ice slabs on trucks occur primarily when it snows heavily. In the case of tarpaulin trailers, a hundred litres of water or more can easily accumulate and freeze overnight ...