Road Courtesy and Common Sense

The Danger of Having a Collision with a Large Truck

For non-commercial drivers, one of the biggest challenges on the road is reading and responding to the movements of commercial trucks.

While professional drivers are trained to read the road around them, their vehicles have limited mobility compare to passenger cars, and as such, it is important for every driver to do their part to help make the road safe when driving near commercial trucks—especially on local freeways, where high speed accidents can pose a special danger.

Tailgating Behind Trucks

Tailgating, or following too closely behind another vehicle, is a common cause of rear-end collisions between passenger vehicles and large commercial trucks.

The reason for these collisions is because the height of a commercial truck often prevents the car’s driver from seeing potential hazards that might be coming up in front of the truck causing the truck to stop suddenly. This tailgating risk often results in a rear-end collision.

Trucks Need More Room and Time

Another major factor causing collisions between trucks and passenger vehicles that many people will underestimate the time it takes trucks to accelerate or to change lanes.

This factor is especially true if freeway traffic is at normal speed and the truck is maneuvering from an on-ramp and trying to merge into freeway traffic. It’s important to give trucks ample room and time to merge into traffic lanes.

Trucks Make Wide Right Turns

The physics of a truck’s design requires them to make wide turns while on city streets. When a truck is making a right turn, they may need to use up two lanes in order to complete the turn.

A Dallas car accident lawyer recommends that if you see a truck attempting to make a turn, do not attempt to drive into the open lane, this will prevent a blind-spot collision with the truck.

Putting It All Together

There’s no way for even the most cautious drivers to prevent every accident on the road, but being vigilant sure helps to minimize them. It is important for every driver to understand the differences between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles, and the ways those differences can lead to potential accidents. With this information, driving around commercial trucks will be much safer.