SHARE THE ROAD SAFELY

For the last six years or so I have had the opportunity to work near and around a lot of different big trucks.  By big I mean trucks that require a Class A or B license to drive.  After riding along in these big trucks a few times I have a huge respect for them and their drivers.  It takes a lot to maneuver these large, long, heavy trucks and the loads they are pulling. Add traffic, weather, and ever changing road conditions to the mix and I really don't know how they do it!  The big truck drivers at Stripe 'N' Seal and Aaron Paving are trained, tested and expected to be safe drivers.  For folks like myself that only ever find themselves behind the wheel of a passenger vehicle, there are some things we can do to help the drivers of these big trucks stay safe.

        SAFE DRIVING TIPS:

• Follow  big trucks with caution - Leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the big truck.  It is recommended that passenger vehicles keep a distance of 20 car lengths behind the big trucks. 
• Larger trucks = Larger Blind Spots.  Try to stay out of the blind spots - a good rule of thumb is if you can't see the big truck driver's mirrors, they probably can't see you
• Always pass a big truck on the left.  Don't complete the pass until you can see the healdlights of the big truck in your rear view mirror
• Allow big trucks plenty of space to turn safely.  Big trucks making right turns will often need to swing to the left first,  trucks turning left will often need to swing to the right first. 
• Don't cut in front of big trucks.  The driver is leaving enough room to stop safely.  A passenger vehicle going 55 MPH takes about 140' to come to a stop, a big truck going 55 MPH takes 400' to come to a stop
• If you are stopped on an incline behind a big truck leave plenty of space between - big trucks can roll backwards up to 20' when accelerating off an inclined stop

Here's a little perspective for you on the size difference between a passenger vehicle (the Subaru) and one of our big trucks pulling an asphalt grinder.  Its pretty easy to see why both drivers need to use extreme caution on the road!

   

STATISTICS INVOLVING PASSENGER VEHICLES -vs- BIG TRUCKS

• Of multi-vehicle crashes involving big trucks 71% of fatalities are caused by the passenger vehicle

• Of fatal collisions involving passenger vehicles and big trucks, 98% of the deaths involve passenger vehicle   

Whether you are driving a passenger vehicle or a big truck, drive as safely and as responsibly as possible.  If we all look out for each other no matter how big or how small our vehicles are, we decrease our likelihood of becoming a statistic.  Drive safe and get home safe!  For more tips on driving safely around big trucks go to www.sharetheroadsafely.org

www.sharetheroadsafely.org

 Written by:  Shaunda