How to Avoid A Semi-truck Accident
How to Avoid A Semi-truck Accident
How to Safely Share the Road with Semi-Trucks
So exactly how do you avoid a semi-truck accident? Let’s face it, semi-trucks rule the road. Semi-trucks are also known as 18-wheelers, which refer to the tractor-trailer combination. They are everywhere. There’s the joyfully anticipated Amazon truck or the ever-necessary tanker truck, to name a few. Our daily lives are dependent on semi-trucks.
However, if there is one vehicle you really don’t want to collide with, it is a semi-truck! A Semi-truck accident can be very dangerous.
Semi-truck accident
Semi-trucks are huge. They can weigh anywhere from 10,000 to 80,000 pounds. Any impact from a vehicle this size can be catastrophic. Obviously, size, speed and the direction of impact all play a role in the severity of an accident. But it goes without saying, that when you have a collision between a simple passenger vehicle and a semi-truck, the passenger vehicle will take the brunt of the impact and damage.
Sem-truck accidents or other commercial vehicle are dangerous. In 2022, 43 Utahns were killed due to an accident involving semi-truck accidents, per KSL news radio. https://kslnewsradio.com/2013506/udot-urges-safe-driving-around-semi-trucks/ When driving on Utah roads, it is necessary to have a respect for and use caution around semi-trucks.
According to the Utah department of Transportation (Udot), 75% of crashes involving a passenger vehicle and a commercial vehicle were the fault of the driver of the passenger vehicle.(https://trucksmart.udot.utah.gov/commercial-drivers/safety-and-crashes/ In the majority of semi-truck accidents, if the driver of the passenger vehicle had used more caution the accident could have been prevented. Here are some tips for driving safely around semi-trucks.
Don’t stay in the semi-trucks blind spot
Don’t drive in the blind spots of semi-trucks. This is good practice for any vehicle, but it is especially important when it comes to large semi-trucks. The areas they cannot see are a lot larger than those of a passenger vehicle. The blind spots on semi-trucks extends and angles out from the cab of the truck. Also, unlike passenger vehicles, semi-trucks don’t have rear view mirrors. They cannot see what is behind them.
Driving in the blind spot of a truck is risky and dangerous. A good rule to follow is that if you can see the truck driver’s face in the truck mirrors, then you are not in a blind spot and the driver can see you. But if you cannot see the driver’s face, you should not be driving where you are. Don’t be the cause of a semi-truck accident.
Give way
When a semi-truck has on its blinker and is attempting to merge, it is best to make room for the truck. There is a good chance the semi driver isn’t even aware that your vehicle is there. It is not worth the few seconds it will save you by not allowing the semi-truck to merge. Semi-trucks are so much larger than passenger vehicles that your vehicle will be the one to sustain most of, if not all the damage if there is a collision. Yielding in this situation can help you avoid a semi-truck accident.
Don’t squeeze in front of a moving semi-truck
In perfect conditions, it can take a semi-truck more than 500 feet to stop, per KSL News Radio. This is almost double the stopping distance of a passenger vehicle (https://kslnewsradio.com/2013506/udot-urges-safe-driving-around-semi-trucks/).
Make sure to allow enough space between the semi-truck and your vehicle when you attempt to merge in front of the semi-truck. According to Udot, the area 20 feet in front of a semi-truck is a “No-Zone”; Meaning, you need to be at least 20 feet in front of the truck if you are attempting to merge ahead of it (https://trucksmart.udot.utah.gov/know-the-no-zones/).
Semi-trucks are an integral part of driving on Utah roads. Staying out of the truck’s blind spots, yielding way to the larger vehicles, and not cutting off semi-trucks will help insure that you avoid a semi-truck accident.
Semi-truck accident
If you have been in an semi-truck accident, contact us today to see what legal recourse you might have. Semi-trucks often have larger insurance policies, so it is best to have an attorney involved right from the beginning. There is also a lot of legal documentation that can be obtained from semi-truck companies and you need the expertise of a law office like ours to handle the request for information. It is always best to obtain the assistance of a attorney or lawyer if you have been involved in a semi-truck accident. Please call us today at 801-738-9999.
https://myutahinjurylawyer.com/contact/