If you take one piece of advice about driving near semi-trucks to heart, it should be this: Do not ever pull in front of a truck that is trying to stop.
You often see this at red lights. A truck will start slowing down with a significant gap between it and the light. A car will dart around the truck, into that gap, and then start braking as well. This seems fine to the driver of the car, who is just trying to get into the lane they want, but it’s a major problem for the truck driver.
How long a truck needs to stop moving
The issue is that cars can stop much faster than trucks and need much less distance to do so. A car may take roughly a football field to come to a stop, while a truck needs two football fields when it’s fully loaded. Some studies show that it takes more than 200 additional feet for a truck to stop.
Unfortunately, you’re not the only one in control of this type of accident. You may know not to cut off a truck, but you do have to drive near them all the time.
What if a truck driver doesn’t notice a traffic backup and fails to hit the brakes in time? What if a driver is looking at his or her phone and doesn’t notice that the light turned red? What if a driver is speeding and suddenly needs even more space than expected to stop safely?
When any of these things happen, you could be in danger of getting injured in a rear-end crash. You must know how to seek financial compensation if you or a loved one suffer injuries in a wreck with a semitruck. Experienced legal guidance can help protect your interests.
