How to Avoid Car Accidents with Commercial Trucks
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No one wants to get into car accidents with commercial trucks. These accidents often lead to catastrophic injuries and property damage. In addition, your injuries may lead to months or even years of medical treatments and lost wages due to your inability to work. While some accidents may be unavoidable, following these essential tips may help you avoid a car accident with a commercial truck.
Stay Out of Their Blind Spot
The blind spots of commercial trucks are substantial. Therefore, if you find yourself in a truck’s blind spot while driving, move out of it as quickly as possible. The truck’s passenger side is the worst place to be driving for any period of time, as the passenger’s blind spot is significantly larger than the blind spot on the driver’s side. Additionally, when passing a truck—if possible—always pass on the driver’s side.
Leave Plenty of Space
Large vehicles like commercial trucks require significant time to slow down and come to a complete stop. For this reason, it’s always recommended to avoid following a truck too closely. For example, if you follow a truck too closely, and the truck experiences a sudden tire blowout, they may lose control of the vehicle, and you may be at serious risk of severe injury.
Follow the rule of allowing four seconds of distance between you and a commercial truck. It’s a really great way to avoid car accidents with commercial trucks.
Pass and Switch Lanes with Caution
When passing and switching lanes around a commercial truck, always exercise extreme caution. If you fail to leave enough space between you and the truck, they may not be able to stop in enough time to avoid an accident that may be occurring ahead of you. Additionally, avoid passing trucks when going up or down hills as commercial truck brakes may fail and leave you at risk for collision.
Think Twice When Merging
When merging into traffic, use caution not to squeeze into a position directly in front or behind a commercial truck. Even if a truck is moving slowly in heavy traffic, accidents occur when vehicles merge directly in front of them and fail to leave the truck with enough space to brake.
Use Extra Caution While Driving in Poor Weather
According to injury attorney Aaron Bensinger, in inclement weather—like snow, ice, wind, and fog—commercial trucks are at even greater risk for causing a car accident. Trucks drivers may be required to drive slowly in these conditions. However, even when driving slowly, accidents still happen. Due to their size, commercial trucks are even more challenging to maneuver in difficult weather conditions.
For this reason, be extremely cautious when driving around commercial trucks in harsh weather. Trucks that hit ice patches or high winds could jackknife or spin out. When these unfortunate events occur, failing to leave enough space between you and the truck could result in catastrophic consequences.
Be Patient
While commercial drivers tend to drive more slowly than regular vehicles, they do so for their safety and the safety of others. Frustration may occur when you get stuck behind a slow-moving truck—we’ve all been there. But aggressive driving increases the risk for a dangerous car accident. A little patience is a very small price to pay to avoid disastrous car accidents with commercial trucks.
