Truck accidents are a major cause of personal injuries. Since trucks are big and heavy, truck accidents often result in serious injuries and damages. Whether you’re a truck driver or a regular motorist, following these safety tips can help prevent crashes and keep the roads safer for everyone.
Maintain a Safe Following Distance
When sharing the road with trucks, you should maintain a safe following distance. Large trucks can’t accelerate or decelerate as quickly as other vehicles do. Therefore, maintaining a safe distance between your vehicle and a truck gives you more time to respond to sudden stops and emergencies.
Be Careful When Passing Trucks
When overtaking large trucks, make sure to increase your speed so you can pass it quickly without lingering in its blind spots. You should also leave enough space before merging back into the right lane. Ensure you see the truck’s front in your rearview mirror before merging back. Also, avoid overtaking on curves, hills, or poor weather conditions.
Avoid Their Blind Spots
Blind spots are areas around a vehicle that a driver can’t see. A truck’s blind spots are bigger than those of smaller cars. That means if you are sharing the road with a truck, it’s highly likely that the truck driver won’t see your car.
To reduce your chances of being in an accident, you should stay away from truck blind spots. To avoid being in a truck’s blind spot, you should:
- Stay visible: The truck driver cannot see you if you can’t see the truck’s side mirrors. Therefore, you should position your vehicle where you are visible to the side mirrors.
- Avoid lingering: Avoid driving on the truck’s sides or directly behind it for extended periods. Either move ahead or slow down to get out of these areas.
- Pass quickly and safely: When passing a truck, do so quickly and avoid staying alongside it for too long.
- Keep a safe distance: Avoid tailgating a truck. Large trucks need more stopping distance, and if they brake suddenly, you could be in danger of hitting its rear.
Be Extra Cautious During Bad Weather
Most truck accidents occur due to bad weather. For instance, weather conditions such as rain, snow, and fog can reduce visibility and make roads slippery, increasing the risk of road accidents.
To be on the safe side, you should maintain a safe following distance when sharing the road with a big truck. This will increase your reaction time in the event of an emergency.
Don’t Drive Under the Influence
Driving under the influence is dangerous for every driver. Alcohol and drugs may make you take risks that you wouldn’t take when sober. You might speed, make sudden lane changes, or misjudge distances when overtaking.
Taking alcohol or drugs also reduces your reflex reaction and lowers your focus. All these increase your chances of being in a truck accident.
Avoid Distracted Driving
Driving on a highway or over long distances can get boring sometimes. However, you should be extra cautious about boredom or distraction. Here are some tips that can help you stay alert and focused:
- Create a music or podcast playlist before you depart so you won’t need to adjust your radio while driving.
- Avoid operating your phone when driving. Find a safe place to pull over if you need to use your phone urgently.
- Take a break immediately when you start feeling tired. If you start nodding off while driving, you’re already at risk, so act before it’s too late.
Be Careful When Pulling Over on the Highway
You must be extremely careful when pulling over on a highway. Many accidents happen when a car that has pulled over is hit by a truck that has lost control.
If you have to exit your vehicle, do so carefully while watching out for trucks and other vehicles. You should also wait until the road is clear before merging back onto the road, and don’t forget to use your indicator to let other vehicles know your intentions.
Watch Out for Turns
Big trucks need lots of space to turn. They can even occupy adjacent lanes when turning. Therefore, make sure to give them plenty of room, avoid driving in their blind spots, and never try to squeeze past them when they’re turning.
Be Predictable
You should use your signals correctly so that a truck driver can predict your next move and adjust their own driving accordingly. For instance, avoid turning or changing lanes without signaling other drivers, as it puts you at risk of dangerous collisions.
Stay Safe, Stay Aware
You should be very careful when sharing the road with trucks to avoid getting into serious accidents. Always stay out of a truck’s blind spots, give it ample space, and remain predictable when driving. This will reduce your chances of being in a truck accident.
