Avoiding a tractor trailer crash is high on every driver’s priorities when traveling. We know the dangers, we know they’re bigger than us, and we know that when it comes to a tractor trailer crash— we’re ultimately the loser. Big rig crashes occur everyday on the open roads across the country. With nearly 11 million trucks on the highway, a tractor trailer crash is bound to happen at some point. But we want to help you avoid being involved. Following are a few steps you can take to make sure you’re doing what you should, to avoid a crash.
Avoiding A Tractor Trailer Crash: A Few Tips For Safer Travels
Don’t Change Lanes Abruptly
Always make sure you leave a safe amount of space before switching lanes. You want to give tractor trailers plenty of opportunity to see that you are moving in their direction, and adjust their speed and spacing accordingly. Furthermore, heavy trucks require much more time to slow down than smaller cars. Therefore, it is important to give them a chance to maintain a safe distance. Signaling early, taking the time to establish a safe space, and then making your move is the best route to take… no pun intended.
Beware of Blind Spots
All vehicles have their own set of blind spots. But, tractor trailers have much larger blind spots than any other car. As you can see, where we have a back window— they have a giant trailer. So, their visibility is significantly different than ours. Their blind spots are more plentiful than ours. You don’t want to ride too closely behind, or on either far side. Ultimately, you want to make sure you can see them in their side view windows. This is a great rule of thumb in making sure they have visibility of you and vice versa.
Don’t put yourself in a tight spot
Tractor trailers take pretty wide turns, and they can’t stop on a dime. So you’ve got to do the adjusting for them. Coming up to a stoplight and you see their turn signal? Don’t jump into their blind spot and cut into that right turn lane. Chances are, they might hit you and not realize it. This is another blind spot. Cutting them off, or tucking into a nook while they’re turning — these are two ideas that will leave you at fault for whatever might come.
Don’t follow too closely while going uphill
Tractor trailers are much heavier than other vehicles, which means they can struggle going uphill. It takes a lot for them to heave all that weight up an incline. It is not uncommon for a truck to roll backwards, especially if they have to shift gears. If you’re following too closely behind— they might not know you’re there, for one, and for two, they are likely to roll into your car. Because of this, and for many other reasons, you should allow for more distance between you and a tractor trailer while traveling.
Maintain a safe distance, always
The most important thing to keep in mind when sharing the road with tractor trailers is to maintain safe following distance. These trucks take up so much area on the road. If they happen to falter, they can potentially take out an entire road way. Therefore, give yourself and the truck a little room to operate. Allow yourself time to avoid an accident if something occurs up ahead. The best rule of thumb is to, if possible, try to remain roughly 10 car lengths away from a tractor trailer. Doing so will give you the best chance to brake, or pull over, in the event of any problem.