Being surrounded on the highway with a lot of commercial vehicles and semitrucks is never fun. Right now, however, there are more big rigs on the road than normal as trucking companies work harder to meet consumer demands and keep supply lines open.
That means it’s more essential than ever to understand how you can share the road with semis and other large vehicles safely. Here are some tips that may help:
- Recognize your danger. You can easily see that semi beside you on the road, but can that truck driver see you? The odds are against it. Big rigs afford their drivers very limited visibility. Plus, it takes longer for a trucker to stop a rig that’s in motion than it does to stop a passenger vehicle.
- Avoid blind spots. If you must pass a semitruck, do it on the left and as quickly as possible. Since the driver’s blind spots extend to both sides of the truck and for some distance both in front of their cab and behind their tail, it’s wisest to give a semitruck as much room as possible.
- Be courteous and communicative. Whenever possible, try to make eye contact through a driver’s mirrors when you have to pass them. That way, you’re sure that they’re aware of your presence and intentions. Also, give merging trucks extra room — even if you have to slow down to do it.
- Watch out for turns. Large trucks don’t handle as easily around turns and often take part of both lanes when they’re taking a right. If you’re approaching a truck that’s signaling a right-hand turn, keep your vehicle back from the intersection.
Despite your best intentions and efforts, it isn’t always possible to avoid an accident with a commercial vehicle. There are plenty of distracted, tired truckers on the road, and they do make mistakes. If you’ve been hurt in a wreck, find out how you can seek fair compensation for your losses.
