Avoiding Truck Related Accidents: An Infographic on Truck Safety

December 4, 2015 No Comments

As the driver of a passenger vehicle it can be easy to be nervous when driving near a tractor-trailer, with truck accidents resulting in thousands of deaths and over 70,000 injuries each year. Due to the size of the truck, the majority of deaths resulting from a truck accident are those that were riding in a passenger vehicle. This can make it easy for car drivers to place the blame on the truck drivers. However, that is not always the case.

There are actually many errors and poor decisions made by car drivers that lead to accidents involving tractor-trailers. As a driver on the road you have a responsibility to protect yourself and make driving decisions that will keep those around you safe as well. If you understand and are aware of the way a tractor-trailer works and where the blind spots are located on a truck, you can make driving decisions that can avoid causing an accident. This infographic will show you what locations near the tractor-trailer you should avoid driving in to maintain a safe distance from the big rig.

Expecting the driver of a tractor-trailer to be able to respond to quick stops or being cut off by quick lane changes is unrealistic due to the weight of the vehicle they are driving. Chances are when you were learning to drive you were told “if you can’t see them, they can’t see you”. It is your responsibility as a driver to make sure that the truck driver is able to see you before you change lanes or make other moves that could impact their control of the trailer.

As a car driver you have the responsibility to be aware of your surroundings and how they impact the trucks that are around you. The below infographic from Tenge Law breaks down the best ways that you can help protect yourself and other drivers to avoid being part of a truck accident.  

Click here to download a larger copy

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