Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays where we get to to spend enjoyable times with our friends and family are rapidly approaching. I’ll soon be driving to join my family in Pennsylvania and know that many of my clients, friends and colleagues will also drive long distances to be with their loved ones. The roads are usually crowded with extra traffic this time of year. Holiday highway travel often is at night, after work or after a festive meal, each of which can greatly reduce a driver’s reaction time.
As we drive, we share the road not only with other cars, but also with tractor-trailer trucks that weigh 10,000+ lbs. Here’s the good news – according to transportation studies, over the past ten years, the frequency of collisions between trucks and cars has been decreasing. The bad news is that in crashes between cars and trucks, fatalities are on the rise.
Three important statistics:
- 500,000 trucking accidents occur every year
- 5,000 result in fatalities
- 98% of the fatalities in tractor-trailer accidents are with the individuals in the passenger vehicles
I hope that during this holiday season you and your family avoid any collisions. Here are five highway safety tips, which I learned from Road Safe America to make your holiday travel as safe as possible.
Highway Drive? FOLLOW THESE FIVE TO STAY ALIVE:
- Be extra alert as you approach a large truck. They operate very differently from cars.
- Avoid blind spots around trucks. If you can’t see a truck’s side mirrors, the truck driver can’t see you, which means you are in their blind spot. One-third of all crashes between large trucks and cars take place in the truck’s blind spot.
- Don’t pass a truck on the right, when it is also turning right. Trucks must swing wide to the left in order to safely make a right turn.
- Give a truck at least 4-6 seconds of space in front of you on the highway.
- Don’t cut off a truck in traffic or on the highway to reach your exit or turn.
If you are hurt as the result of a crash, you may be entitled to recover money for your injuries from the responsible parties. If you have any questions about your rights, after a collision, please call me at at (212) 809-4293 or email me at info@Katterlaw.com.
Ron Katter
Katter Law Firm
Phone: 866-LAW-HELP
Alt Phone: 212-809-4293