If you drive an ordinary-sized vehicle, you may feel fearful every time a truck approaches you on the road. You’d be right to. These behemoths of the road could leave your vehicle in smithereens and you on a mortuary slab in a second.
That is all it takes – one second of inattention or negligence by the truck driver (or you) for a collision to occur. As you cannot control what the truck driver does, it makes sense to do all you can to avoid a collision.:
Keep your distance
The closer you are to a truck, the more likely a mistake affects you. The closer you are, the more likely you are in one of the truck’s extensive blind spots, meaning the driver may not see you. While all vehicles have blind spots, those of a truck are much larger, sometimes extending across more than one lane.
Another solid reason to stay a good distance from trucks is that they are less maneuverable. They cannot just make a right turn like you can in your car. They may need to pull to the left first to give themselves the room to make that right.
If they need to stop, it will take them far longer than you. So, if you hope to overtake a truck and squeeze back in front just in time to avoid an oncoming vehicle, then you are putting yourself at risk. The trucker cannot just brake to let you slip in if you misjudge things.
Pay attention
While distracted driving is dangerous at any time, the risk to you is even greater when there are trucks close by.
Taking these simple steps fulfills your commitment to avoiding a truck crash. The rest is down to the truck driver. If they do not do all they can to keep you safe, you have a right to pursue them for compensation if a collision occurs, as will your family if you do not survive.
