How to avoid catastrophic truck accidents on your commute

During rush hour there, may be hundreds of cars around you, all desperate to get home after a long work day. You have enough to worry about with them, but perhaps even more important than other cars are the large trucks that share the road with you.

Trucks are considerably larger and heavier than regular cars—and they can cause a lot more damage in an accident. Knowing what increases the risk of a truck accident could keep you out of harm’s way. Here are a few things to keep in mind when your car is in the shadow of an eighteen-wheeler:

Blind spots

When you are driving a small car, it isn’t too challenging to manage your blind spot—that small area on either side where you can’t see someone slightly behind you. Trucks are usually somewhere from two to three times the size of a car, and their blind spots grow accordingly.

A good rule of thumb is to always stay where you can the truck’s mirrors. If you can’t see those, the truck driver can’t see you. Knowing where you can be seen by a truck driver could be the difference between a safe drive home and an accident.

Time and location

The chance of an accident is always present, but there are many factors that can increase it. The busiest time for truck accidents is from morning rush hour to just before evening rush hour, so you might be safer from them later at night and on weekends.

One fact that may surprise you is that most truck crashes do not occur on freeways. Smaller roads with more frequent stops and turns open the door for more accidents, so paying attention even on slower roads is still important.

Whether these statistics influence when and where you drive or just help you exercise caution while driving in higher-risk situations, being focused on your surroundings while driving will always be the number one tool for road safety.