Tractor-trailer accidents account for 9 of every 13 accidents last year, hence, it’s becoming increasingly important to drive safely around semi-trucks. Central to understanding defensive driving is a solid appreciation of the dangers and risks these tractor-trailers represent.
Road safety experts from the government and the private sector agree that defensive driving is severely underrated. It’s still the easiest and most efficient way of preventing personal injuries on you and your family. While these experts concede that some accidents are unavoidable, there are many ways that drivers across the country can prevent them from happening.
Understanding Tractor-Trailers and their Drivers
Semi-trucks are by nature, large and cumbersome beasts of burden. They’re very difficult to control, very slow to a start and need a longer stopping distance, even with top reaction times. They’re very vulnerable on snow or rain and more especially at night.
Th
e average tractor-trailer can weigh anywhere between 5 to 40 metric tons or more, considering those who invariably violate federal safety standards. In effect, a commercial truck can effectively outweigh a typical family car by at least 25 times; and the average small hatchback, by up to 40 times.
One other risk factor arising from tractor-trailers is the human component. In over four out of every five collisions, it’s the commercial driver who is to blame. Because they are made to drive these behemoths often under poor working conditions, these drivers suffer from fatigue.
Still, trucking is a business and it’s not uncommon for both drivers and their dispatchers to carry two sets of books. The first is where all their hours and miles covered are recorded according to statutory requirements. This is the book they submit to law enforcement agencies for inspection. Another one keeps a record of the actual hours clocked in by the driver. It’s with this one that he and his partner are paid for.
Because of the large incentive to push the limits, truck drivers on the road are either very tired or very bored. To while away the time, drivers stalk on their phones, stay on the radio, read papers and entertain themselves on the road. Distracted driving necessarily puts them, their cargo and especially the commuters they share the road with at an alarmingly large risk.
6 Defensive Driving Tips
Defensive driving is always a function of understanding the limitations of your surroundings and other drivers.
1. Pay close attention and be wary of trucks.
2. Be very visible and account for the truck's blind spots.
3. Be very careful, especially in poor driving conditions.
4. In cases of emergencies, always remove your car from the road.
5. Avoid road rage.
6. Learn to expect the unexpected.
As tractor-trailer accidents continue to claim the lives of thousands of people each year, defensive driving can only do so much. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a truck accident contact the Zevan and Davidson Law Firm!
Our firm’s principle, David Zevan, is a member of the Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice Interstate Trucking Litigation Group.
