People often feel a natural sense of anxiety when another vehicle dwarfs their own in traffic. Even the largest pickup truck or SUV pales in comparison to an 18-wheeler. Semi-trucks are massive vehicles capable of causing absolutely devastating collisions with smaller vehicles.
Given how dangerous they can be, it is often a worthwhile endeavor for drivers to occasionally refresh themselves on how to share the road safely with these massive vehicles. The three safety tips below can potentially help people reduce their risk of a collision with a semi-truck.
1. Stay out of their blind spots
Even with oversized mirrors and add-ons, those operating semi-trucks cannot see all the way around the vehicle. Other drivers generally want to avoid driving in the lane to the left of the trailer or two lanes to the right of the trailer. They should also maintain a safe following distance behind the truck so that they don’t disappear into the blind spot behind it either.
2. Merge and pass with care
Semi-trucks are often subject to a lower speed limit than passenger vehicles. Other drivers may want to go around semi-trucks, especially on roads where there aren’t separate lanes for slow and fast-moving traffic.
When merging in front of a semi-truck or passing one, it is important to remember that they take longer to slow down than other vehicles. Drivers should leave sufficient space between the front end of their vehicle and the rear end of the semi-truck. Cutting off a semi-truck in traffic can have disastrous results because the driver may not be able to stop.
3. Leave more space at intersections
Semi-trucks generally make wide turns. Anyone approaching an intersection should always check for traffic in any other lanes. If one of the vehicles near the intersection is a semi-truck, drivers approaching the intersection should leave a little extra space by staying farther back from the intersection. That way, the driver can easily conduct a turn.
Those involved in crashes caused by semi-trucks may need help. Such collisions often cause massive damage and lead to complex insurance claims. Sometimes, a lawsuit may be the only way to reasonably address the harm caused by an 18-wheeler crash. Remembering the safety tips outlined above can help drivers limit their risk of such collisions and put them in a position to establish that they were not at fault should one occur.