The old saying goes, the best offense is a good defense. According to research, accidents caused by big rigs or the 18-wheelers have increased by 52% since 2009. Safe and defensive driving involves saving lives, time, and money regardless of the conditions around you or other road users.
Defensive driving for truck drivers goes beyond basic skills to state-of-the-art driving techniques that can potentially prevent dangerous occurrences. Here are safety and driving tips that you should know.
Almost everyone is guilty of distracted driving at some point in life. The most common distractions are physical activities, including other roadside activities, eating or drinking beverages, flying insects, smoking, turning on radios, and other music players, among others.
The most notorious driving distraction is the cell phone socialite. Avoid using your cell phone at all costs. If it rings, let it ring. You’d instead leave a voicemail than risk your life and that of your passenger at risk.
You’d be shocked by how many truck drivers are lulled into complacency, incaution, and insecurely secure prowess. They carelessly drive through intersections with little to no scanning. Most of them will boast of the right of way. A traffic green light isn’t always an indication that all vehicles approaching the red light will stop.
As a result, a left-center-right scan is vital whenever you approach an intersection, without considering whose right of way it is. While this warning may seem so obvious, a study by NHTSA shows that 96% of accidents at intersections are a result of driver error.
Creating and maintaining a safe distance between your truck and other vehicles is one of the critical measures of defensive driving. You should keep a minimum distance of four seconds if your truck is traveling up to 40 mph. Also, the US Department of Transport approves the addition of one second for every additional ten mph.
Roads are increasingly crowded, which poses increased threats to drivers’ safety. The more congested the roads are, the higher the demand for learning the tips of building and maintaining trucks’ space cushion. While creating space around your truck might seem like a difficult task to achieve, especially when there are a lot of vehicles on the road, it’s easier than you think.
You should stay alert to the activities of other vehicles and keep your eyes moving to monitor and process any necessary detail. Depending on what you see, you should be able to adjust accordingly. Knowing your truck’s weight and height is also helpful in determining how quickly your truck can stop if need be.
Always be mindful of your surroundings and never depend on other drivers. Try to keep tabs on their driving patterns and predict what they will do as it could influence your driving. Remember, there’s no guarantee that the other drivers around you are not risky.
blogs
How Truck Accidents are Different from Car Crashes
Even though all types of auto accident are dangerous and have the potential to cause life-altering injuries, truck accidents are nearly, if not always catastrophic or fatal. Unfortunately, they’re becoming quite common. According to the Truck Safety Coalition, about 5,000 people died in truck crashes last year, marking a 46% increase in truck crash deaths […]
Top Five Most Common Car Accidents
Despite the plethora of traffic rules and safety measures implemented, car accidents are still quite rampant in the country. According to a report on the World Health Organization website, over three million people are injured in auto-accidents yearly, while 30,000 others succumb to their injuries. As experienced car accident attorneys, we’ve handled our fair share […]
Driving on the 101
Living in California, there is a big focus on driving. With everyone rushing off to work, sitting in traffic, or getting around to see people, it can be easy to forget how much fun the open road can really be. As we swing towards the end of summer, you want to set aside some time […]
Cell Phones and Accidents on the Road
We have all done it. Even with the headsets, the hands-free devices, and the ability to connect your phone to your car, all of us have reached for the phone while driving. Whether it’s checking a quick text at a stoplight or messing around with your maps app while driving in a new place, the […]
Five Tips for Summer Road Trip Safety
Summer time means warmer weather, and that means road trip time. Whether you’re heading down the street or across the country, there’s always a potential obstacle waiting for you. There’s no reason not to put together a safety checklist, and practice safe driving habits before everything gets crazy. For proper road safety, you’ll want to […]
Tips for Avoiding Car Accidents
Whether you’re driving in a place where the environment is a little more driver-friendly, or if you’re somewhere where the weather poses a driving hazard, you can’t go wrong having a working knowledge of how best to avoid accidents. In 2020 alone, there were nearly 36,000 fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Those […]
What You Need to Know about Pain and Suffering in a Personal Injury Case
After a personal injury, you’re typically entitled to claim compensation for two types of damages; economic and non-economic. Economic damages are usually easy to quantify, and commonly include medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages on the other hand are difficult to measure, and often include pain and suffering. But what exactly is pain and […]
Five Products for Increased Automobile Safety
It should be no surprise that in Arizona and California, with the increasing dependence on cars, automobile accidents are increasingly likely. In the event of an accident, you want to have as many bases covered as possible – from minor repairs you can do yourself to getting yourself out of harm’s way as quickly and […]
Who is Liable in a Motorcycle Accident?
Motorcycles provide less inherent safety than vehicles. As a result, motorcycle accidents have a greater impact on the motorcyclist than a motorist driving a car. According to the NHTSA motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to die than car occupants in a crash per vehicle mile traveled. Identifying the party at fault is critical to […]
Bicycle Safety Tips
Bicycling might be the true essence of freedom in transportation. No dependence on anyone to get around except yourself, no motor to make you drive out of control, and you can park your bike just about anywhere. Still, safety while riding a bicycle is just as important as with any other mode of transportation, especially […]
contact form
