The knights of the highway – the truck drivers are considered to be the kings of the transportation system in the country. Small business or big businesses all largely depend upon road transport for everything like groceries, gasoline, household goods, and much more. 18-wheeler trucks are considered to be the backbone of road transportation channel but sometimes they can be threatening and dangerous for one’s life. according to www.texas-truckaccidentlawyer.com, over 500,000 truck accidents happen in a year in the USA and over 6,000 among them cause death.
Some drivers drive too fast, some drive too slow, some drive with the caution but in a span of a second any mishap can occur. While driving on the highway around big trucks one needs to be careful and drive safely while keeping an eye on those on those trucks as well. No matter if you are driving safe but you can’t always count on other drivers to be safe. Learning road safety is in everyone’s best interest so we have made a simple but significant guide to help you out when you are on the highway driving around big trucks.
Source: Washington Post
Contents
Always Be Aware
The first rule when you are driving around big trucks is to be aware always. Whether you are with your family or alone you have to keep attention on the movement of the 18-wheeler on the highway. For example, if you are passing a big rig, be aware the trucks have large blind spots. So, always pass with caution. Anything can happen in a millisecond, so always be aware. Also, semi-trucks take as much as forty percent longer to come to a stop after the brakes are applied. If a big rig is tailgating you, let them pass.
Don’t Follow the Truck to Closely
A semi-truck in front of you can make it very difficult to see what is happening in front of the truck. Back off and your vision ahead can improve. By allowing more room you are giving yourself more of a safety cushion and time to take evasive maneuvers if needed.
Allowing a safe distance is the number one rule when driving around 18-wheelers.
Source: Breyer Law Offices, P.C.
Blind Spots
Blind spots are situations when a driver is unable to see other vehicles from side and rear mirror. So avoid speed while at blind spots, never try to change lanes, stay at the safe zone while a truck behind you or ahead of you is changing lane. The driver of a truck can’t see through his mirrors when is turning or changing lanes so always avoid such blind spots.
Anticipate Wide Turns
Tractor-trailers require a great deal of room to make a turn. Often, it is necessary that the truck start a turn from the outside lane when turning right or the inside lane when turning left. These turning maneuvers create a dangerous condition for other drivers who may not anticipate the turns. If the trucker swings out wide or has turn signals on, extra caution is warranted.
Source: Hornsby, Watson & Hornsby
Don’t Allow a Big Truck to Tailgate
As indicated above, semi-trucks take much longer to stop in emergency situations. If a truck is following you closely, and you need to quickly brake, you and your passengers are in jeopardy of being hit from the rear by an 80,000-pound vehicle. And the danger is applicable even if the truck driver is paying attention to the roadway. Each year, hundreds of innocent victims are killed simply because they allowed a truck to follow them to closely.
