When you get out on the roadway, there is a good chance that you will end up traveling alongside a semi-truck in Colorado. This is particularly true if you have to get on the highways for any reason. Even though traveling beside a larger commercial truck can seem intimidating, there are ways for you to do so safely. Here, we want to discuss some safety tips for traveling alongside semi-trucks in Colorado.
Defensive driving is not just something we learn when we are teenage drivers. Defensive driving is important anytime we get behind the wheel of a vehicle, particularly when operating around larger commercial trucks in Colorado. No matter how long a person has been driving, it is important to remain vigilant on the roadways. You should always know where a large commercial truck is located, what lane they are in, and remain aware of any actions that the truck driver takes. You will be able to react appropriately if you are paying attention to the larger trucks on the roadway and they make a sudden maneuver that you do not expect.
It is crucially important not to cut off larger commercial trucks on the roadway. It is very important to understand that larger commercial trucks can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, which means it takes them longer distances to stop. If you cut off a larger commercial truck and then have to come to a sudden stop, there is a good chance that the truck will rear-end you. This could lead to a devastating collision that causes significant damage and catastrophic injuries.
Every large commercial truck on the roadway has significant blind spots along each side of the vehicle, and these spots are referred to as “No-Zones.” The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) strongly recommends that smaller vehicles stay out of a larger truck’s blind spots when they can. Any vehicle traveling in the truck’s blind spots may not be seen by the driver, and this could lead to lane change accidents.
If the driver of a smaller vehicle needs to pass a commercial truck on a highway, they should do so as quickly as possible, and they should only do so if there are multiple lanes going in the same direction. We recommend that all drivers engage their turn signal, move into the lane to the left side of the truck, and accelerate past the vehicle. Do not turn back in front of the truck until you are well in front of it and in the truck driver’s full view.
If you are operating on the roadway at night, it is important to keep your high beams off if you are near other vehicles, including larger commercial trucks. Using high beams could lead to the reflection of your lights hitting the truck driver’s mirrors, essentially blinding them. Additionally, you should use your turn signals properly at all times so the truck driver knows your intentions.
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