The TX tractor trailer wreck lawyers of Barry & Loewy LLP have compiled some driving safety guidelines to help ensure that you can drive safely on Texas highways and roadways, while sharing these roads with larger commercial trucks and tractor trailers:
- Always wear your seat belt.
- Never drink and drive.
- Be cautious of others on the roadway. Aggressive and inattentive drivers place others at risk. They can also contribute to a semi truck accident that involves an innocent and safe-driving third party. Stay away from aggressive and inattentive drivers.
- Always use your turn signals when changing lanes. Drivers around you need to know what you are doing to maintain safe driving distances.
- Never follow an 18 wheeler too closely. Keep 20 to 25 car lengths between the front of your vehicle and the back of a large truck or 18 wheeler. This extra distance will allow you to see in front of the truck. In case there is congested traffic or an accident up ahead, you will see it in time to stop or safely steer your car away from the danger.
- Use extra caution when passing. After passing, do not pull your car back into the tractor trailer’s traffic lane until you can see its headlights in your rear view mirror.
- Avoid blind spots. Truck and bus drivers have large No-Zones (blind spots) on both sides. If you cannot see the truck driver’s face in the side-view mirror, the driver cannot see you. If your motor vehicle is next to a large semi truck or tractor trailer, drive past the truck if you can do so safely, or maintain a safe distanced behind the truck. If you are passing, drive your car on the left side where the blind spot is smaller.
- Never cut in front of a truck. Tractor trailers and 18 wheelers require a greater stopping distance, and if you force a semi truck to stop quickly, a serious accident could result. When passing, look for the front of the semi truck in your rear-view mirror before pulling in front.
- Don't get squeezed. Semi truck drivers need to swing wide to the left in order to negotiate a right turn. When truck drivers make wide right turns, they can't see smaller vehicles directly behind or beside them. Never get between the truck and a curb, or you may be in a "squeeze" and suffer serious injuries.
- Watch brake lights. When sharing the highway with an 18-wheeler or big rig, pay close attention to its brake lights and signals and act accordingly.
- Always remember that a loaded big rig or semi truck needs as much as 100 yards -- the length of a football field -- to come to a complete stop. No matter how crowded the highway, make sure to maintain this safe distance. If the truck driver ignores this margin of safety and follows your car too closely, do not take a chance. Move your car into another traffic lane.
