If your Fourth of July plans involved travel this year, chances are good that you encountered many large semitrucks on your route. Driving alongside one of those highway behemoths can be intimidating.
Below are some tips for sharing the roads safely with large, heavy trucks.
Stay out of their blind spots
Truck drivers have reduced fields of vision in the multiple blind spots on each side of the trucks, as well as directly in front and behind them.
Don’t stop abruptly in front of semitrucks
The larger and heavier the truck, the longer the distance and time it needs to come to a full stop.
Give them enough room to merge
While passenger cars and trucks can weave in and out of lanes with relative ease, large semitrucks cannot. Allow them sufficient space to safely merge in and out of lanes of traffic.
Watch out in windy conditions
The wide surface area of semitrucks causes them to sway in the wind. If you are riding close to a big rig when a gust blows, it could blow the truck into your lane.
Beware of semitrucks’ wide turns
Right turns are especially wide, so make sure that you aren’t in their way when they turn.
Due to the size and weight disparity between semitrucks and passenger vehicles, when the two collide, it does not bode well for the occupants of the smaller vehicles. If you are injured in an accident caused by a semitruck, your injuries could be disabling and permanent.
In order to facilitate your recovery, it may be necessary for you to seek legal guidance about filing a personal injury lawsuit to recover financial compensation.
