Is there anything you can do to stay safer around trucks?
If you are not the most confident driver, trucks may terrify you. It’s understandable. They are big, unwieldy, noisy and can hurtle past at terrifying speeds. What’s more, if they hit you, they can leave you for dead or with massive injuries.
Unless you intend to stick only to the quiet roads too small for 18-wheelers to take, you will, unfortunately, need to learn to live with them. Knowing how to drive around them can help you become more confident and reduce the chance you have a crash with one.
Here is the key:
Leave them way more space than you think
If you consider trucks to be the motor equivalent of a large angry bull, then think about how you would maneuver around that compared to around a sheep:
- You would leave a far bigger gap at all times.
- You would never take a chance on second-guessing their next move because you know guessing wrong could turn out badly.
- You would wait for an opportune moment to pass, then do so as quickly as possible at an ample distance. Or you would slow down and let them stay well ahead until one of you turns off.
Truck drivers will make mistakes. There is nothing you can do about that. All you can do is keep out of harm’s way. The closer you drive to 18-wheelers, the more likely you will be injured if their driver makes a mistake. While you can seek legal help to hold the driver responsible, keeping your distance reduces the chance you ever need to.