Drive Clear of a Truck's Danger Zone

When you enter the highway you share the road with vehicles of all sizes, from compact cars to large trucks. Trucks need much more space around them then small cars. The bigger the truck, the bigger their blind spot and the more room they need to maneuver. Trucks also need a longer time and distance to stop than smaller cars.

According to the United States Department of Transportation, in 1995 there were more than 300,000 crashes involving at least one passenger vehicle and one large truck. In addition, police reported that over 70 percent of all fatal crashes involving cars and trucks were caused by the car diver. These crashes are most likely to occur directly in front of and behind the truck and along either side.

Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik, Viener & Grossman, P.C. urges you to drive defensively and leave lots of room on all sides of large trucks. If you're behind a truck and trailer and you can't see the driver in the mirrors, then they can't see you. If you need to pass a truck complete the pass as quickly as possible and do not move back in front of the truck until you can see clear pavement in front of the truck's front tires while looking in your rearview mirror.

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