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Personal Injury Lawyers Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro Drivers Can Help Reduce Truck Accidents

Jonesboro truck accident attorneysTruck drivers are responsible for many of the truck accidents which occur. Truckers may drive when fatigued, fail to follow best practices for safety, speed, and make many other mistakes which result in motor vehicle accidents occurring. When truckers cause accidents, they- and their employers- can be held accountable for losses. Victims can pursue truck accident claims to recover compensation. Truckers need to do everything possible to make sure they don't end up in this position and to make sure they do not hurt or kill anyone by causing a motor vehicle accident.

While truckers have a tremendous amount of responsibility for crash prevention, other motorists on the road also have a part to play in trying to keep the roads safe. Recently, a new instructional video was produced which is aimed at helping motorists to more safely share the roads with trucks and other vehicles. Hopefully, the video will encourage at least some drivers to modify their behaviors to help prevent truck accidents from occurring.

The American Trucking Association produced a free Share the Road instructional video which motorists may obtain online and which will be shown at driving schools and drivers education classes throughout the country. The video, prepared with the input of safety experts as well as professional truck drivers, focuses on some of the key things that motorists can do to try to stay safe including:

  • Knowing where truck blind spots are. Motorists should remember a truck driver cannot see them if they cannot see the driver's face. Drivers need to be aware there are actually four blind spots around trucks, one on each side. The instructional video provides multimedia and video representation of the blind spots so motorists can see what a trucker does (and doesn't) see.
  • Buckling up. The chances of dying in a truck accident are significantly reduced when drivers wear their seat belts. Motorists in both the front and the back seat of a truck need to buckle up.
  • Driving the speed limit, or less if necessary to be safe under current road conditions. If a driver is exceeding the speed of surrounding traffic, that driver faces three times the risk of becoming involved in a collision.
  • Maintaining a safe following distance. This is always important, but is especially essential if a driver is traveling behind a truck. The height of the truck can make it impossible for a driver to see traffic flow patterns, debris in the road, or obstacles which could necessitate a stop. This means a driver following behind  a truck won't have much advance notice if stopping is necessary.
  • Avoiding cutting off a truck. Drivers should be aware of the longer stopping distance which trucks have. Because trucks are so much bigger than cars and have more momentum, a truck takes a long time to stop. A driver who cuts off a truck might get hit as a result.

Drivers should follow these tips to try to avoid collisions, while truckers also need to make certain they are doing their part to ensure accidents do not happen.

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