Tips to Avoid a Major Truck Accident

It’s impossible to drive on the interstates and highways in Vermont and New Hampshire without encountering large trucks. Tractor-trailers are an important part of commerce and it is common to see these massive vehicles driving alongside you. Even though motorists and truckers share the road on a daily basis, many of these drivers do not know the appropriate safety measures to take to avoid a major Vermont or New Hampshire truck accident.

AAA, a not-for-profit organization of motor clubs, compiled a list of safety tips for motorists and truckers to help prevent serious semi truck accidents. These tips include the following:
 

• Keep both hands on the wheel when you pass a truck. 18-wheelers create strong wind gusts and you need to make sure you have full control of your vehicle.
• Ensure that there is a lot of room between you and a semi truck when stopping on a hill. Trucks take longer to stop, plus they can roll back if the driver takes his or her foot off the brake.
• Don’t accelerate when a truck is passing you. The best thing to do is to stay to the right and slow down, as it will help you keep out of the truck’s blind spot and will give the trucker plenty of room.
• Give a trucker space if he or she is signaling to switch lanes. According to AAA, an average truck that is changing lanes at highway speeds requires about an eight second gap or 700 feet, which is the length of 2 ½ football fields.

There are also things that truckers can do to prevent tractor-trailer accidents, such as double checking their mirrors before turning right, signaling early, avoiding tailgating and leaving extra space between the truck and other vehicles.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, whether it was in Western New Hampshire or Eastern Vermont, a New Hampshire truck accident attorney from the Law Offices of Van Dorn & Curtiss, PLLC can explain your legal rights. Contact us today at (877) 611-9622.

Be sure to order your copy of New Hampshire personal injury lawyer Ed Van Dorn’s book, Navigating the Minefield: The Essential Guide to Your Vermont or New Hampshire Accident Case.