We all know that driving is such a big responsibility, which is why so much preparation and study is needed to master driving before you are given a driver’s license. You must pay attention to your speed and traffic laws as well as watching out for drivers all over the road before you change lanes, merge on the highway or turn down a street. Your mirrors and a rear-view window will help you out when you’re trying to make a driving decision, but there are still blind spots that you need to watch to ensure that you don’t hit another car.
But if you think it’s complicated in your car, you should try seeing the road from a trucker’s perspective. So how different does the road look from a trucker’s perspective? How does this affect how you drive next to or near a tractor-trailer? Here are a few things you need to know.
TRUCKS HAVE A BIGGER BLIND SPOT
Because commercial trucks are much larger than the average-sized car, they have larger blind spots that make it more difficult to see cars coming up in the lanes next to them. For a truck driver to see you, you have to be able to see the entire truck from your mirror.
The largest blind spot on a truck is the passenger side, although there is still a large blind spot on the driver’s side as well. Although truck drivers often check their mirrors to see who is approaching their blind spot, the best thing to do is to get out of a trucker’s blind spot as soon as possible so there’s no possibility that they can’t see you.
TRUCKS NEED MORE ROOM TO STOP
The average car weighs about 3,000 pounds and has a stopping distance of 30 yards (assuming there isn’t any inclement weather), but the average truck weighs about 80,000 pounds and takes much longer to come to a complete stop. Because it takes them so long to come to a full stop, you must make sure that you’re leaving enough room between you and the truck so that there’s less of a chance of collision.
Although drivers can do everything they can to make sure they’re driving safely around trucks, accidents can still unfortunately occur. Trucking companies can be negligent in maintaining their trucks and ensuring that they are up to safety standards. They can also encourage their drivers to drive past their legal limits or ignore the safe loading weight of a tractor-trailer. If you have been in an accident with a tractor-trailer and a trucking company is resistant to admitting fault in an accident, this can delay payment for medical bills and potentially, lost wages or funeral expenses.
Getting into an accident with a tractor-trailer can cause severe injuries or even death. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries because of a crash in Georgia, contact the Fry | Goehring at (404) 948-3571. We can help you pursue compensation and understand your rights.
