When you share the road with large trucks, especially on large, multilane highways and interstates, it is crucial that you understand the difficulties that commercial truck drivers face, for your safety and the safety of other drivers. Driving a large truck is fundamentally different from driving a consumer vehicle, but far too many drivers behave around large trucks as if they are not difficult to operate and pose no greater threat than any other vehicle on the road.
In reality, driving a large truck is far more demanding than driving any consumer vehicle, even a very large consumer truck or SUV. These trucks are far heavier than consumer vehicles and require significantly more room and time to safely brake to a stop. Furthermore, these vehicles operate in a completely different way than a consumer vehicle, because they are two separate pieces that drive as one but may move independently. This requires much more room to make turns, especially right-hand turns. Commercial drivers also have much less visibility of the road directly beside them and behind them, and depend on other drivers to stay out of their blind spots.
It is also important to understand that commercial drivers constantly drive very long hours. If you’ve ever been on a road trip that spans hundreds of miles, you know how exhausting it can be to simply ride as a passenger for too long, let alone drive a vehicle the whole distance. Commercial drivers must exert significant energy and attention for hours on end, and the longer the driver is on the road, the more susceptible he or she is to diving errors, just like everyone else. Unfortunately, when a commercial driver makes a driving error, the results can be catastrophic.
There is no way to completely avoid the possibility of a commercial truck accident, but if you consider the additional difficulties and limitations that commercial drivers face, you can share the road with them more safely. If you do suffer injuries or other losses in a commercial truck accident, be sure to consult with an experienced attorney who understands how to build a strong personal injury claim to seek full compensation and protect your rights and privileges.
Source: FindLaw, “Common Causes of Truck Accidents,” accessed Dec. 29, 2017