7 Tips for Driving Next to a Semi Truck

7 Tips for Driving Next to a Semi Truck

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When to call a law firm

Just recently, there are a story in the news about a semi truck that caused a major accident on the freeway of the i10 freeway in Arizona. It was a seven car pile up with many injuries and even fatalities. Truck accidents can be incredibly dangerous. Semi truck accident lawyers and all types of lawyers have to be involved in over to go over personal injury settlements. It can be a big deal and hiring a semi truck accident lawyer is not cheap. In order to avoid an accident with a semi truck, there are several things that you can do. Of course, you cannot control the way that other people drive, but here are some tip to help you be more careful when sharing the road with a truck.

Stay out of their blind spots
If you can’t see a truck’s mirror then chances are, the driver can’t see you either. Passenger vehicles are actually a lot more likely to rear end a large truck than the other way around. This is usually due to poor visibility. If a truck needs to switch lanes or break suddenly they need to have the space around them to do so. Make sure that you are not in any of the four main blind spots. These are on either side of the truck, behind and too close in front. These are the danger zones.

Pass the trucks with caution
Semi truck accident lawyers suggest that you pass on the left side of a truck, when you have to pass. If you can avoid passing, this is preferable, as being on the side of a truck is a dangerous place to be. However, if you do need to pass, make sure it is on the left side of the truck so that the driver can look out his window and see you before switching lanes. Also, make sure you maintain a consistent speed when doing this. Slowing down or speeding up could affect the truck driver’s judgement.

Don’t hang out near the truck
Trucks need a lot of room around their trucks in order to avoid dangerous scenarios. If you talk to a semi truck accident lawyer, you’ll find that the three most common situations when you are too close to a truck are as follows:

  1. If the truck has a tire blow out, the tire shreds could fly through your windscreen.
  2. If there are high winds, the truck could roll and if you are on the side of it, there won’t be time for you to move.
  3. If the truck needs to break suddenly and you are riding too close behind them, your car could slide under the trailer of the truck.

Don’t cut the truck off
When you are pulling in front of a truck, make sure that there is a lot of room between you and the truck, cutting one off will never end well. Large trucks can’t stop as quickly as smaller cars can. A 60,000 pound truck needs more than 300 feet to break when they are going at 55 miles per hour, compared to a 5,000 pound car that only needs less than 140 feet to break when going at 55 miles per hour.
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Give a turning truck space
When a truck is getting ready to turn right, they have to swing wide. This means that they have to move away from the right hand curb in order to fit. If you rush in the space between the truck’s trailer and the curb you could end up getting hit or trapped in between.

Be patient with trucks
Don’t make erratic decisions when you are driving around a truck. This can happen especially when a truck is going slower than you want to go and is causing frustration. Try to be a little more predictable so that the truck can avoid hitting you.

Turn off your brights
If your lights are to high or to bright, then the reflection is going to hit the mirror and blind the driver. Just two seconds of driving at 55 miles per hour results in a truck driving more than half a football field length. Being blinded for that period of time could be extremely dangerous for everyone that is around them.

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