Five Ways to Prevent a Trucking Accident

Vehicles of all types share the roads that stretch across our country, including commercial trucks. A commercial truck is usually extremely large and heavy, meaning they carry a significantly elevated risk to both themselves and drivers around them. Therefore, in order to routinely drive safely, all motorists should learn how to safely share the road with a semi-truck in order to avoid a potentially devastating accident and serious injuries. Here are a few valuable tips you can use to safely share the road with these vehicles.

Stay Away from Blind Spots 
Because of their immense size and height, commercial trucks have many additional complications that a normal motorist would not have to worry about. Perhaps the most restrictive of these issues is the extraordinarily large blind spots that occur on both sides of a truck, pretty much from the rear of the cab all the way back. While drivers do have mirrors designed to help them see any motorists in these spots, they’re not always reliable and a driver might fail to notice a small driver and then accidentally merge into them. One of the best ways to avoid this is to simply stay as far away from these blind spots as possible, and only enter them for an extremely short period of time if absolutely necessary.

Never Pass Trucks on the Right 
Similarly to the last point, trucks have generally limited visibility on the right, or passenger side of the vehicle. The blind spot on this side of the truck is bigger, for one, but trucks also have additional hazards on this side as well. Generally, trucks will always try to stick to the right side of the road and will usually try to move back there once the coast is clear. However, vehicles who pass them on the right may not be seen when they try to maneuver back that direction.

Similarly, trucks that turn right will also have to swing the turn much wider in order to be able to pull their long trailer all the way around. If you see a truck about to turn right and they are not in the furthest right lane, NEVER try to pass them on the inside. As the truck turns, the trailer will cut inward and any vehicles on the inside will likely be crushed under the trailer, resulting in serious injuries. Let the truck make their turn before proceeding through this lane, and give them plenty of room while they’re doing so.

Have an Escape Route 
Especially when they are in heavy traffic areas, trucks will often have to simply barge their way in when they make a maneuver, and this means you might see one start to merge into your lane while you may not exactly be clear. However, this can also happen on even an open road if the driver simply doesn’t see you. Whenever driving near a truck, especially in the lanes next to it, be sure to leave yourself an out that you can move into in the event a truck begins to make an unexpected move.

Don’t Cut Off a Semi-Truck

It’s not uncommon for a semi-truck to slow down a lane simply because these vehicles are designed for towing capacity, not speed. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for normal drivers to get around them and pass them in order to carry on at a more comfortable pace. This is fine, but many people often merge back in front of a semi-truck far too quickly, and don’t leave a large enough gap for the truck to stop in the event of an emergency. If you do have to pass a semi-truck, make sure you can see the entire cab in your rear-view mirror (not just your side-view mirror) before merging back over. This gives the truck enough space to be able to slow down and adjust their following distance appropriately while minimizing your risk of getting rear-ended.

If you have been injured in a trucking accident, contact the Montgomery County truck accident attorneys from Morris Wilson, P.C. We have successfully handled numerous auto accident cases, including trucking accidents, and have obtained a reputation for our success and an elite standard for client service. With several multi-million dollar victories to our name and a long list of highly-satisfied clients, our boutique law firm has become widely-known and respected firms in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area.

Have you been injured in a truck accident? If so, call Morris Wilson, P.C. today by dialing (610) 825-0500 and schedule a free consultation with a member of our team!