Safety Tips when Driving Near a Tractor Trailer

american colors reflect in three trucks leading traffic on an interstate highwayIn February 2021, a Madison County woman lost her life when her SUV collided with a moving tractor-trailer. She was traveling with her two young children, ages 6 and 8, who were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries. This was a horrible event, and our thoughts and prayers go out to those involved. This type of accident happens all too often, particularly as Florida’s roads become more and more congested.

As a Tampa Bay personal injury attorney law firm, we know that most collisions or other types of impacts involving tractor-trailers are preventable. Tractors and tractor-trailers take up more space on the road, need more room to maneuver when in motion, and take far longer to come to a complete stop than regular passenger vehicles. They present extra danger on our roads.

Stay Safer with These Tips

Like all drivers on the roads today, the driver of a tractor-trailer bears the ultimate responsibility to drive safely, comply with all traffic rules, and take care not to present a danger to other drivers and pedestrians around them. That is a given. But there are steps you can take to be extra careful when you see a big rig on the road. As a rule of thumb, if you see a tractor-trailer, make it a rule for yourself that you’re going to give this vehicle an enormous amount of space. Take some time to learn a tractor-trailer’s blind spots.

• Avoid 30 feet in front of the tractor-trailer and 30 feet directly behind a tractor-trailer at all times.
• Avoid the area directly under the driver’s-side window in the lane immediately to the left and behind the same window for about 20 feet.
• Avoid the two right lanes of a tractor-trailer for nearly the entire length of the rig.
• Never be on the right side of a tractor-trailer when it’s making a right turn.
• When passing one of these large rigs, do not do so until you can see the front fully in your rear-view mirror.

If you remember nothing else, remember that if you cannot see the driver’s face in their side mirrors, there is a high chance they cannot see you.

Never hesitate to contact a tractor-trailer accident attorney for a consultation if you’ve been involved in any impact with a tractor-trailer. The attorneys at Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore are trained to handle questions related to tractor trailer rig accident injuries in the Tampa Bay area. Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore is your trusted Tampa Bay tractor-trailer accident attorney.