One simple trick that could help you stay safer around big trucks

On Behalf of | Oct 25, 2020 | Firm News

Sharing the road with big commercial trucks drastically increases the degree of risk that drivers have for injury and even death on the road. A vehicle that weighs multiple times what your vehicle weighs could cause catastrophic damage to your vehicle and life-altering injuries to you or your passengers.

Commercial trucks can cause horrific collisions not common for other kinds of vehicles. Underride collisions where a smaller vehicle ends up crushed under a commercial truck or jackknife crashes where a truck’s different components end up traveling in opposite directions is a crash that likely wouldn’t occur with a smaller passenger vehicle.

The good news for you as a safety-conscious driver is that there’s one simple driving behavior you can adopt that could potentially reduce the risk you face from big trucks.

Try to put as much space between your vehicle and a commercial truck as possible

Staying away from the large blind spots and vulnerable areas around a big truck can help you stay safer. During heavy traffic times like rush hour, you may not have many options about what vehicles are close to you. However, much of the time that you are on the road, you will have the option of changing routes, changing lanes or otherwise avoiding driving in close proximity to big commercial trucks.

These vehicles have big blind zones they put people close to them at risk for getting hit. Additionally, the closer you are to the truck, the more likely you are to get hurt even if they can see you in a situation where they lose control of the vehicle.

Trying to leave a lane of space between your vehicle and a bigger commercial vehicle could be the difference between getting hit by a truck when it jackknifed, getting caught up in a rollover crash or completely avoiding the collision as it occurs.

If you are involved in a crash with a truck, you may have options for seeking compensation from the truck driver, the trucking company or others. An experienced attorney can help you understand those options.