Sharing the Road
Trucks, School Buses, Motorcycles
Trucks: When driving on the highway, you are at a serious disadvantage if involved in a crash with a larger vehicle. In crashes involving large trucks, the occupants of a car — usually the driver — sustain 78 percent of fatalities.
In order to keep you and your teen safe on the road, you should be extra cautious when driving around large trucks and buses. Sharing the road with larger vehicles can be dangerous if you are not aware of their limitations. Here are a few tips to help you drive safer to prevent a crash and minimize injuries and fatalities if one does occur.
Cutting in front can cut your life short: If you cut in front of another vehicle, you may create an emergency-braking situation for the vehicles around you, especially in heavy traffic. Trucks and buses take much longer to stop in comparison to cars. When passing, look for the front of the truck in your rearview mirror before pulling in front, and avoid braking situations.
Watch your blind spots – the “No-Zones”: Large trucks have blind spots, or No-Zones, around the front, back, and sides of the vehicle. These No-Zones make it difficult for the driver to see. Avoid being caught in a truck’s No-Zones. If you can’t see the truck driver in the truck’s mirror, the truck driver can’t see you.
Avoid squeeze play: Be careful of trucks making wide right turns. If you try to get in between the truck and the curb, you’ll be caught in a “squeeze” crash. Truck drivers sometimes need to swing wide to the left in order to safely negotiate a right turn. They can’t see cars directly behind or beside them. Cutting in between the truck and the curb increases the possibility of a crash. So pay attention to truck signals, and give them lots of room to maneuver.
Work zones: Work zones can be very dangerous, especially when traveling on the highway. It’s important to be alert and prepared to slow down or stop in a work zone. Slowing down and allowing others to merge will ensure a safe passage through work zones. Here are a few tips on work zone safety:
- Stay Alert: Work zones are busy places where construction vehicles and workers are always moving. Be alert, and stay on the safe path that is designated throughout the work zone.
- Take your cues from trucks: Work zones often pop up suddenly. If you are not paying attention to the signs, you could find yourself in a serious crash. Since trucks have a height advantage and can see ahead of traffic, their brake light activity can provide a good signal of a slow-down or work zone ahead. Truck drivers know the stopping limitations of their trucks and pay close attention to traffic.
- Merge gently: Aggressive drivers can be extremely dangerous while driving in work zones. Driving in work zones require extra time and courtesy. For a smooth passage through work zones, allow others to merge in front of you. Be especially considerate to trucks. They require more space to merge and are the least maneuverable vehicles on the road.
School Buses: Always be cautious around school buses and know when the law requires you to stop for one that is loading or unloading students. Vehicles behind a bus that is loading or unloading students must always stop. Opposing traffic only needs to stop if there are fewer than two lanes on both sides of the road.
Motorcycles: Always treat motorcycle operators with courtesy. Leave plenty of extra space between your vehicle and a motorcycle. Motorcycles can usually stop in shorter distances and may suddenly swerve to avoid obstacles. Before changing lanes, check to see if a motorcycle is in your blind spot or in the space where you plan to move. After you pass, look again before you move back.
At intersections, motorcycles’ smaller size makes it difficult to judge their distance and speed, an oncoming motorcycle is probably much closer and coming much faster than it appears.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration