Accidents can happen to anyone on the roads; however, trucking accidents are bad. More than 50% of fatal accidents in the USA are caused by trucks, which is why you have to drive more cautiously when you are around trucks, especially as a motorist.
Now, as a motorist, your best strategy would be defensive driving, especially when you are riding in the proximity of an eighteen-wheeler.
The following tips can help you prevent truck accidents.
Maintain Enough Space
The first thing that you will want to focus on is maintaining enough space between your motorbike and the truck ahead of you. As a matter of fact, you will want to maintain more space than with a car. The underlying reason is that a truck is large enough to block most of the visibility that lies ahead, which is why you cannot detect hazardous travel conditions timely, such as construction or stopped traffic.
The best thing to do is to allow more space between your vehicle and the truck ahead of you. This way, you will have more time to react if you need to swerve out of the way or stop suddenly.
If you are riding through Harlingen, Texas, and you get into an accident with a truck and sustain serious injuries; as a result, you will want to get in touch with the Harlingen Texas personal injury law firms so that you can get the due compensation for the sustained injuries, medical bills, and lost wages.
Be Cautious when Passing
You will want to leave enough space between your motorbike and the truck when you are passing in front of the truck. The thing is that a truck is much heavier than a normal car, which means that it will require much more distance to stop.
The worst you can do is to cut in front of an eighteen-wheeler, as the chances of getting into a fatal accident are higher this way. If you find it impossible to pass the truck with sufficient room, your best option would be to stay in your lane and wait for the opening of more space.
Beware the Truck’s Blind Spot
As a motorist, you will want to practice more caution when you are driving in close proximity to a truck. The best thing you can do to avoid an accident is to stay out of the blind spot of the truck. If you don’t know what the truck’s blind spot is, you will want to look at the side mirror of the truck and see whether or not you can see the trucker’s face.
If you cannot see, the driver cannot see you either, which is what makes it a blind spot. The safest thing to do is to pass the truck in the left lane when the truck is to the right side as a way to stay out of the blind spot and avoid an accident.
Also, if the truck is turning, you will want to use the utmost caution, as a truck needs much more space and clearance than a car.
