Enjoy driving? Good! But remember, driving is not just about fun. You drive, but do you drive safe? Driving comes to you with the baggage of responsibility. Someone back at home is waiting for you! So, you should not risk your life with reckless driving.
Driving a car is not at all scary, it’s just that you need to follow safety guidelines. Accidents happen, but it’s dangerous if it costs someone’s life. You must always be careful while driving but specifically when you are driving near to a tractor-trailer because it’s huge and can cause a lot of damage. You can also check all types of tractor units at Truck1 to get an idea of these mammoth wheel-machines, and if you’re looking to buy or sell one, you surely can use Truck1 website to get help.
Below are six safety tips the car drivers can follow when driving near to a tractor-trailer:
1. Avoid Driving at Night
Only, in case of an emergency, you should drive at night, else avoid it. According to research, ‘night’ time is particularly not very safe to drive. This is the time when you mostly don’t find the smaller vehicles on the road. What you see are the larger ones such as the tractor-trailers. It’s probably the best time for those drivers to drive without caring much about the smaller vehicles. Even if they drive cautiously, it is, in general, difficult to drive at night. The vision can be disrupted with the headlights of other vehicles. This may lead to dangerous accidents such as the car coming under the trailer. This can be fatal!
2. Beware of The Blind Spots
Larger vehicles have more blind spots than the smaller ones. A tractor-trailer has blind spots on all the four sides. This means the driver has limited visibility. If you drive in those blind spots, then you will not be seen in the tractor-trailer’s mirror, and the driver will be unaware of your presence. This could result in unintentional accidents. So, the next time you blame the driver of the larger vehicle, you need to remember, it’s your duty to keep yourself safe by avoiding the blind spots.
3. Keep Distance
If you are driving in front or at the back of the tractor-trailer, you need to maintain enough distance. A tractor-trailer is much larger than your vehicle and much heavier as it’s fully loaded with goods. For a vehicle that heavy, it’s almost impossible to apply break and avoid the accident. It requires ample space before it completely stops. That’s the law of physics. So, it’s important to give that space to the tractor-trailer and let it stop comfortably. This will avoid situations of you getting hurt by a tractor-trailer.
4. Left Is Always Right
If you must overtake the tractor-trailer, always take the left side. The drivers of the tractor-trailer have better visibility on their left-hand side as compared to the right. So, passing them on their right is never a right thing to do. You are inviting an accident by doing so. Even if you must do a right turn, make a wise choice. First, pass on the left of the tractor-trailer, then keep a safe distance ahead from it and carefully turn right after that.
5. Don’t Rush
There could be a situation when you have a backing tractor-trailer ahead of you. You may have to wait for a couple of seconds while the driver is attempting to back. You don’t have to rush. Attempting to save yourself some few minutes could cost your life because when you try to move ahead from the behind of a backing tractor-trailer, you are entering the danger zone, as the driver may not be able to see you.
6. Don’t Use Your Mobile Phones
It is difficult nowadays to keep away from mobile phones. Trying to attend calls or text while driving is not safe. The moment your eyes are off the road, the very next moment you could have a tractor-trailer ahead of you, leaving you no time to gain back your control. Mobile phones are not that bad if you use them wisely.
Size matters! A tractor-trailer could do much more damage to your car than your car could to a tractor-trailer. At the end of the day, it will not matter whose mistake it was, if it took away your life. Drive safe. Your safety is in your hands!
