September 13-19 is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. Truck driving is a dangerous career in the United States with crashes occurring daily across the country. Bad driving habits such as tailgating make roads even more dangerous.
Tailgating
Tailgating is when a vehicle drives too close to the vehicle in front of it. Drivers should leave a safe distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them to ensure they do not cause a crash. Further, semi-trucks need more time to stop than normal vehicles, thus they need more room between their truck and other vehicles.
Four Second Rule
The best way to maintain a safe distance behind other vehicles is to use the “Four Second Rule”. Drivers will look at a stationary object on the road, paying attention to when the vehicle in front passes that object. Drivers should then count four seconds, if their vehicle passes the stationary object prior to reaching four, they are following too closely.
Blind Spots
A major issue that tailgating causes is that vehicles following too closely are in the trucks blind spot. Due to the rig on the back, truck drivers cannot see a vehicle that is too close to the back of their truck. It is important for people to leave plenty of room between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them, especially if that vehicle is a semi-truck.
Help make the roads safe for everyone by leaving the proper amount of distance.
The Merdes Law Firm has been helping injured Alaskans for more than 30 years. It’s who we are. And while we hope you never need us … We’re here if you do. ~ Ward Merdes
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