How to make the road safer for trucks

Safety Guildlines: Make The Roads Safer

Drivers and passengers in cars, SUVs, and vans are especially vulnerable when colliding with a big rig. Who is going to suffer fatal injuries – the cars and SUVs or the big bad truck? You guessed it – you, your family, your children, and your friends, about 98 percent of the time.

But is it always the big rig’s fault?

While big rigs might always get the bad rap because of their size and tonnage, drivers of passenger vehicles may be equally to blame.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), some of the problems for big rig drivers are created by car and SUV drivers who fail to take into consideration a large truck’s capabilities such as the time and distance required to brake at high speed, stop, acceleration, and challenges of maneuvering a big rig especially in bad weather. The same challenges apply to RVs.

For instance, how many times have car and SUV drivers failed to yield the right of way and then darted in front of a big rig causing them to brake suddenly? Have you passed a long line of traffic then cut in front of the lead vehicle to exit the highway? Every vehicle in that line – cars, vans, busses, RVs, and big rigs all must brake because of your reckless behavior.

Here are some safety guidelines to make the roads safer for cars, SUVs, RVs, and big rigs.

• Don’t change lanes abruptly in front of a big rig.
• If a truck is changing lanes or merging, speed up or slow down (depending on the situation).
• Give the big rig plenty of room to make a right hand turn.
• Don’t try to pass on by the right side as truck drivers are trying to turn right. They have a limited view of the right side of the truck.
• Give trucks the right of way.

Drivers of every size of vehicle can coexist just by following a few simple driving safety rules.

Has a loved one suffered a life-altering injury or wrongful death from a big rig accident in or around Central Pennsylvania?