As a driver, you naturally want to keep your distance from trucks on the road. If you are involved in a truck accident, you will almost certainly come off worse, potentially suffering serious or even fatal injuries due to the sheer size and power of trucks. While many collisions may be the truck driver’s fault, your best option as the driver of a smaller vehicle is to take extra care to keep yourself safe when sharing the roads with trucks.
Tips for staying safe
Here are some ways you can keep yourself out of harm’s way:
- Give plenty of notice: Despite having air brakes, trucks take a long time to slow down. They need plenty of warning if you are about to make a maneuver, including merging, changing lanes or coming to a stop.
- Stay out of blind spots: Every vehicle has a blind spot. Trucks have larger blind spots than most due to their size. In many cases, if you cannot see the driver, the driver cannot see your vehicle.
- Do not hang close to a truck: A lot can go wrong on a big truck. It can be blown sideways by the wind, one of the many tires can explode, or the driver could drift off momentarily and swerve. Do not drive too close. If you tailgate a big rig that suddenly brakes, you could slide under, shearing your roof.
- Overtake carefully: Never pass on the inside of a truck. Only pass on the outside when you have checked it is safe to do so. Leave plenty of space when pulling back in.
- Anticipate a wide turning circle: Trucks often pull out to give themselves room to make a turn, especially for right turns. Allow them ample space to make this turn.
Taking these steps can ensure you are doing your part to stay safe and share the roads. If you do suffer injuries from a truck accident, a personal injury attorney can help you explore options to recover compensation.