How To Avoid Truck Accidents
Accidents have life-threatening consequences and it’s necessary that you take the right safety measures to keep yourself and others safe. If you have a truck it is necessary that you inspect your truck for any problems and also drive carefully on the road as this is a heavy vehicle and can cause more damage than regular cars.
Tractor trailers are abundant and it is a given that they are involved in a fair share of accidents. In the past few years, truck accidents have been the cause of 3,000 deaths and 74,000 injuries.
Here is a list of things that can be the cause of truck accidents:
Distractions
Research states that up to 87% of road accidents are often caused due to the driver being distracted. Some drivers fall asleep at the wheel or are not alert enough to avoid accidents.
Speed
Routes have speed limits and if the driver ignores the instructions there can be serious consequences that may cause severe damage to the vehicle and can be life-threatening. In some cases, truck drivers were driving to close to other vehicles, which led to devastating accidents.
Sudden health issues
A few cases where the driver faced sudden health issues such as seizures or a heart attack have also been reported. Fatigued drivers also fall asleep on the wheel, leading to several fatal crashes.
Poor direction control
On the road, it is quite unpredictable how other people are driving, some drivers panic and cannot control the direction of the vehicle.
There are a few factors we have control over while driving and there are measures you can take to avoid any unfavorable incidents.
In light of this, here is a list of things you can do as a driver to avoid accidents:
Maintain a safe distance
When driving, try to maintain a distance of at least 20 to 25 cars behind a tractor-trailer, and up to 10 cars behind a truck. Drive in your own lane and try to avoid reducing the distance between your car and the truck.
Up-hill drive
When driving uphill make sure that you give a wide berth to the truck driving ahead of you. This will help keep your vehicle safe if the truck driver has delays shifting gears and the truck moves backwards.
Road rage is not the answer
Truck drivers are known for their aggressive behavior and you should try avoiding getting into an argument as this will distract you and things can get worse.
Stay clear of turns
When turning around blind spots, leaving a larger space for the truck or trailer tractor to turn so that you are not in the direction of the driver’s blind spot.
Changing lanes
Avoid changing lanes abruptly without indication or if the distance between the car behind you or in front of you is less than two cars. This can cause you to hit the cars driving in the other lane.
It is necessary that you keep yourself safe and others also by following the road rules.
Here is a useful infographic from Denver Car Accident Attorneys, Tenge Law Firm LLC on how to avoid truck accidents.
