Spring arrives soon and eventually summer, providing more chances for people to hit the road, traveling on Oklahoma highways. On those trips, drivers share the roads with many types of motor vehicles, including big-rig trucks.
Give special attention and remain alert when traveling near these colossal vehicles. A collision with these several-ton trucks will not lead to promising outcomes. Serious, debilitating and fatal injuries are likely for the drivers and passengers of the smaller vehicles involved in these collisions.
Avoid blind spots and tailgating
The safety of you and your passengers is essential, so here some crucial things to remember when sharing the road with large trucks:
- Avoid the truck driver’s blind spots: Also referred to as “no-zones,” the blind spots for a truck driver include the front, back and sides. Stay out of these areas. A truck driver’s change into another lane could prove fatal to you and your passengers.
- Safe passing is essential: Make sure to signal your turn when moving to the left lane. Then, quickly pass the truck. Do not drive side-by-side. You are in the truck driver’s blind spot, and this could prove dangerous. Once you have safely passed, make sure that you see the vehicle in your rearview mirror before changing lanes and getting in front of it.
- Give trucks lots of space: Especially when they merge in front of your vehicle as the truck driver changes lanes.
- Avoid swerving in front of a truck: Doing so may force the truck driver to make a sudden stop. Remember, an 18-wheeler likely cannot stop in time to avoid colliding with your vehicle.
- Do not tailgate: The first problem is that you are in the truck driver’s blind spot. If you follow too closely, tragic consequences may happen should you be unable to stop in time or another vehicle strikes yours from behind. You may find yourself in the usually fatal underride collision in which your vehicle slides under the truck.
- Understand large trucks make wide turns: Truck drivers perform this maneuver by swinging their vehicles to the left before safely turning to the right. It is reckless for any driver attempt to pass on the right by getting between the truck and curb. Once again, you are in the truck driver’s blind spot and a collision is possible.
By following these rules, you just may avoid a collision. Please stay safe on the roads
A skilled attorney can help
Not only must you as a driver remain alert to big-rig trucks, but the drivers of those large vehicles must do the same. Sometimes, truck drivers make mistakes that lead to collisions. When they do, you likely will not emerge unscathed. This is a time when an experienced truck accident attorney can help.