18-wheelers or semi-trucks are large and very efficient vehicles that transport consumer goods and raw materials across the United States. They are a very cost-effective solution for transporting goods and materials. Unfortunately, they are also a very serious hazard for anyone sharing the road with them.
Semi-trucks are so much bigger and heavier than passenger vehicles that they can cause absolute devastation in the event of a collision. Although many of the crashes involving semi-trucks occur due to something the commercial driver did, there are still ways for people in passenger vehicles to minimize their personal risk of a semi-truck collision.
How can the average motorist reduce the chances of a semi-truck crash?
Giving big trucks plenty of space
The single most important safety rule to remember about commercial vehicles is that they require far more space on the road than smaller passenger vehicles. They have large blind spots that prevent commercial drivers from seeing around the trailer of the semi-truck.
Not only is there a risk that the semi-truck driver might turn or merge improperly because they fail to spot a smaller vehicle near them before maneuvering, but there is also the risk that the smaller vehicle might not be able to pass safely while following a commercial truck in traffic. The driver may struggle to see around the trailer and could cause a crash due to lack of visibility.
Being cautious when approaching an intersection
Semi-trucks can be as dangerous at low speeds near intersections as they might be at high speeds on the freeway. Commercial trucks tend to make very large, slow turns in traffic. This makes them a safety hazard.
Oncoming traffic may overestimate their speed and cause a crash while they turn. Vehicles may also get too close to the intersection, a mistake that might lead to the semi-truck striking them because of how wide the turns they conduct usually are. Staying back from the intersection when a truck begins a turn and approaching with caution when there is already one turning could reduce the likelihood of a collision that would carry far worse consequences for the small vehicle than the 18-wheeler.
Making small changes to one’s habits could have a major impact on overall traffic safety.
