Safety Tips For Sharing The Road With Large Trucks

Safety Tips For Sharing The Road With Large Trucks

Large trucks such as 18-wheelers and semi trucks can often create serious hazards for automobile drivers, motorcycles, as well as those on bicycles. Most experts would agree that these large, heavy, and massive trucks are known to create substantial safety hazards for those in smaller vehicles. In fact, due to the very nature and size of these large trucks, accidents are often catastrophic and frequently result in loss of life.

Here are a few safety tips intended to help reduce the chances of accidents when sharing the road with large trucks:

Ensure The Truck Driver Sees You

Avoiding a truck’s blind spot is a sure way to improve safety. Making certain that a truck driver sees you in his or her mirror can greatly reduce the chances of a collision. Equally important is to always pass large trucks with extreme caution. Passenger vehicle operators should pass trucks to the left side as a way to ensure maximum visibility.

Provide Ample Distance

Providing plenty of space when operating on a highway where trucks are present is always the best option. Trucks can be affected by tire blowouts, high winds and other factors that can cause a collision between a truck and a passenger vehicle. Providing ample distance between you and the truck is one of the best and most obvious ways of reducing the chances of a serious accident or collision.

Provide Additional Buffer Space

Passenger vehicle operators should never cut a truck off. Providing ample buffer space between you and a truck whether in front of the truck, behind the truck or next to the truck can improve safety substantially. Large trucks have a lot of mass and will typically require a much greater distance to stop. As an added note, it is always recommended to lower your bright lights when approaching a large truck from behind. This can distract the driver or even blind the driver momentarily.

Pass Carefully

Maintaining a constant speed while passing can also serve to improve safety. Along with passing safely, it is also recommended to never linger or loiter next to a truck while rolling down the highway. When passing a truck always provide additional space before cutting back over into the trucks path of travel.

Contact the Van Norman Law Firm for personal injury legal representation in Phoenix.

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