Sharing the road with big trucks understandably causes many people a little bit of anxiety. But staying anxious and tense on the road will not do you any good. Instead, you can learn how to stay safe around these trucks and reduce your chances of getting into a crash.
What are the best tips that you can use daily? And what are the biggest threats to watch out for?
Dangers truckers cannot control
The Roadway Safety Foundation discusses how you can stay safe when sharing the road with large trucks. First, you want to keep in mind that there are some dangers a trucker has no control over. For example, they cannot tell when a tire is about to burst. This is a minor inconvenience for a trucker, who can simply pull to the side of the road. But what about you? Having enormous tire debris fire at your car or windshield can do a lot of damage.
Blind spots and inattentiveness
Truckers also do not have control over how long it takes them to brake. Inattentiveness can add to the problem and make things even more dangerous, though. In any case, you want to give trucks plenty of warning when you start coming up on traffic or need to slow down for another reason. This gives them the time they need to come to a stop, too.
Be mindful of a truck’s blind spots, as well. Truckers should check every angle as thoroughly as possible before making a lane change, but they do not always do this. On top of that, trucks have many blind spots. It is easy for a car – especially a smaller vehicle – to go unnoticed. Keep these tips in mind and you can stay safer on the road.