It’s a universal fact: no one likes sharing the road with semi-trucks. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with them. In order to make the best out of a bad situation, here are our top tips for sharing the road with giant, scary trucks. Follow these and you won’t be part of the 80% of passenger vehicles that cause the accident with the truck.
- Avoid blind spots. If the driver of the truck can’t see you in his mirrors, you don’t exist. Make sure you have a clear view of the driver’s mirror when riding near a truck.
- Don’t hang out near the truck. Either hang back, with at least 4 seconds of braking distance, or safely pass the truck and move on.
- Don’t cut trucks off. Physics are not on a truck’s side when it comes to stopping. An average truck needs more than double the stopping distance needed by a standard passenger vehicle.
- Signal early. If you are passing a truck and want to reenter its lane, let your signals flash a few extra seconds to give the driver time to prepare for your lane entry.
- The hardest rule of all – be patient. Take your time to wait for the safest opportunity to navigate around a large truck. Rushing to sneak behind it while it’s backing up is just a recipe for disaster.
Graphics and more examples can be found at Visual.ly.
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