Although teens make up only 7 percent of the total driving population, they account for 14 percent of all fatalities. Add to that horrible statistic the fact that many teens, inexperienced in highway driving in general, are weaving in and out of lanes around semitrucks carrying heavy loads, and you have a recipe for disaster.
In recognition of this huge problem, the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance has recently created a Teens and Trucks program to inform inexperienced drivers about safety around commercial trucks. The Arizona Department of Public Safety enthusiastically teamed up support for the program and helped launch the new training curriculum.
Here are some of the key safety tips to share with your teens in order to keep them safe around semitrucks:
- Don’t cut off trucks: The total stopping distance is a lot longer for a commercial truck than for a car. A semitruck requires almost the whole length of a football field to come to a complete stop.
- Stay out of a truck’s blind spot: Trucks have very large blind spots. Be cognizant of getting through the truck’s blind spot quickly and don’t hang around next to the truck.
- Keep a safe distance from trucks: While it’s never a good idea to tailgate any vehicle, it’s even more problematic to do so around large commercial trucks. The sheer size of these vehicles prevents you from seeing the road ahead and having sufficient time to react to or slow down for stopped traffic ahead.
- Trucks make wide turns: Because of their large size, you need to remember that a truck making a right turn may first swing left to clear the corner and conversely when making a left turn. You need to expect this and be prepared.
- Trucks are less maneuverable than cars: All drivers, no matter what their age or experience is, need to give large commercial trucks more room and more margins for error when driving around a truck.
Having a new teenager driver is a tumultuous period for any parent. However, with a little guidance and a lot of experience, things will improve.
Unfortunately, accidents do happen, and if you or anyone in your family has been injured in a truck accident, consult with our experienced Ohio tractor-trailer accident lawyers to get all of the compensation you deserve.