Road traffic collisions are something that occurs on a daily basis and the majority of these are a result of negligence and carefulness from the drivers. Driving defensively entails predicting and avoiding hazards on the road, which can prevent accidents from happening. This is crucial to ensure that you are driving safely around others. However, it does not mean that others will be doing the same. If unfortunately you get involved in a car crash, make sure to know these important steps you need to take after you’ve been in a car crash.
Paying strict attention to potential hazards is particularly important when you are driving around large vehicles. This is because this poses an increased level of risk to road users, as you can imagine; and significantly increases the chances of fatalities to the victims involved in the accident. In this article, we will discuss how to drive defensively around large trucks, so that you can ensure a safe journey on the road.
Avoid or Be Careful in Blind Spots
Every driver has a few blind spots – these are particular areas around the vehicle that do not allow great levels of visibility to the driver. If someone is in the blind spot area, the driver will not see you and this can put you at risk. Large trucks have more blind spots than a normal-sized vehicle and as a defensive driver, it is crucial that you avoid these. A common rule to check whether you are in a blind spot is that if you are not able to view the driver’s face in the side-view mirror, then you are in a blind spot and the driver cannot see you.
Avoid Tailgating
A defensive driver should always maintain a good amount of distance between the vehicle in front. This is so that in the case where the driver in front breaks suddenly, you have enough time to react, preventing you from crashing into them. Due to their massive size and weight, large trucks will take longer to break if needed, increasing the chances of having to brake suddenly to avoid colliding with other vehicles. If you are tailgating a large truck and they break unexpectedly, you may not have enough time to stop your vehicle causing you to crash. These types of accidents often lead the vehicle behind to slide under the trailer, resulting in serious injury or even death.
Contact an Experienced Lawyer Right Away
Unfortunately, no matter how defensive you are as a driver, accidents can still occur. Being involved in an accident is a serious matter, and you may need to seek legal representation to support your claim for compensation. The personal injury law experts at Terry-LawFirm.com suggest that accidents involving large trucks are more likely to be the result of the driver’s negligence and its consequences are massive. A lawyer can help you by investigating the case and exploring the causes of the accident and prove the driver in question was negligent. This is often a long and stressful process, and although some people decide to not hire expert law representation, you should consider this so that the professional can focus on the legalities of your case and you can try to resume your normal life and focus on your recovery post-accident.
Be Careful When Large Trucks Turn
Large trucks need much more space than smaller vehicles when turning. Therefore, they generally turn in their direction from the center lane and move into two different lanes to finish the turn. Furthermore, truck drivers tend to swing wide to the opposite direction when completing this maneuver. Therefore, you must always be alert when driving next to a large truck, and try to get away if they are wanting to turn. The truck driver should always have the signals on to warn other drivers beforehand – as soon as you see the signal is on, slow down and give the truck enough space so that you are not in the way.
Watch for Runaway Trucks
Large trucks often travel many miles every single day – this and their massive sizes makes them susceptible to mechanical failures. The vehicles can easily overheat, have tires blow out, or have brake issues. It can happen that a truck loses its ability to break when going downhill – the heavy weight will cause it to travel faster than a common vehicle. If you realize that a runaway truck is behind you, it is imperative that you get out of the way as soon as you can, otherwise, you risk the vehicle running into you at full speed.
Being involved in an accident can affect diverse aspects of your life – from financial to relationships, your ability to work or the development of psychological disorders such as anxiety. It is important that you are a defensive driver by adopting the behaviors above when driving around large trucks – however, if you still become a victim of an accident, ensuring that you have appropriate legal representation is a smart move.