It may be terrifying and fatal to be in an accident while a semi-truck is involved. And they frequently result in death. Semi-trucks frequently weigh more than 10,000 pounds. This implies that compared to injuries sustained in typical automobile accidents, those sustained in tractor-trailer accidents are substantially more serious.
Most of us often share the road with semi-trucks, yet many people are unaware of their restrictions. Get help from a Truck accident lawyer in Atlanta right away.
To assist you in sharing the road with semi-trucks, we will talk about a few ideas that follow:
Protective driving
- No matter where you are driving, it is a good idea to drive defensively.
- If you have been driving for some time, driving probably comes naturally to you.
- However, even the most experienced drivers must always be on the lookout, especially while driving near tractor-trailers.
- Semis respond significantly more slowly to prevent collisions because of their greater size and weight.
- This calls for particular caution when driving in close proximity to semi-trucks.
Take caution.
- Keep as much space between you and the truck as you can when driving alongside a tractor-trailer.
- Even if they can see you, truck drivers may not be able to respond in time to other events that may arise on the road with big vehicles.
- Everybody has witnessed big vehicle tire fragments moving along a highway.
- While it is possible that truck drivers can continue driving after blowouts, those tire fragments might be deadly if they strike a windscreen.
- Avoid approaching a huge truck’s tail end in bad weather or even standing near it.
Eliminate blind spots
- Compared to passenger cars, a semi-truck has substantially greater blind areas.
- The most hazardous blind area for a truck driver is on the right side of a tractor-trailer.
- This blind area may obscure their vision of 3 or more lanes.
- The areas in front of the cab, behind the trailer, and along the driver’s side are additional blind spots that you need to be aware of.
- To guarantee that the driver can see you, spend as little time as possible in these areas.
Passing
- You should keep your speed consistent and safe when you pass a vehicle.
- Before you pull in front of the truck, be sure you can see the full vehicle in your rearview mirror.
- To increase your visibility, pass on the left whenever you can. When reentering your lane, leave ample room between your automobile and the truck.
Always indicate
- Trucks need additional time to respond to drivers who are halting, turning, or combining lanes, as we have already said.
- It is crucial to utilize your turn signal for at least five seconds before turning or changing lanes.
- The truck driver can slow down or move over by signaling in advance.