How to Safely Travel With Your Truck: 6 Key Tips to Follow
A lot of people, particularly the ones who are not too familiar with trucks (or who have recently started driving them) think that they are much safer than other vehicles, which isn’t really the truth.
That’s probably because they think that larger vehicles offer much bigger protection in comparison to the smaller ones. What they fail to realize is that statistics when it comes to this are pretty devastating.
Namely, according to different reports, your chances of dying in a pickup accident are drastically higher than dying in an automobile accident. This just goes to show how critical it is to be extremely careful when driving a truck.
There are a number of things that you can implement to ensure maximum safety, and today this guide is going to focus on the most critical ones. So let’s check them out together!
Properly Plan Your Trip
It doesn’t matter where you’ll go or how long you’ll be staying. What matters is to properly plan your trip because, by doing so, you are going to drastically boost your safety. There are different hazards that may strike you and below we’ll enumerate the ones that are most common and that you need to steer clear of:
High crime regions – Sadly, trucks are often by various thieves because they frequently transport very valuable things. Even if that’s not the case with you, you should still stay away from places that aren’t considered safe, which are normally secluded areas, and the ones that are poorly lit.
Congested traffic – High traffic congestion can increase the risk of road accidents. If you plan on driving to areas where high traffic is quite common, then you need to be extra careful, which means thoroughly planning your route. In these types of situations, you need to drive very slowly and have another route in mind, just in case.
Be aware of the weather – Before you head out, be sure to gather as much information as possible concerning the weather conditions so you can prepare yourself the right way.
When Was The Last Time You Replaced Truck Parts?
If that's something that you haven't done in a while, then it's time to do it as soon as you can because if you don't, you can seriously endanger not only your life but the lives of everybody else who is on the road. With quality semi truck parts, your vehicle will not only become a lot less dependable, but you will lower the risk of dealing with sudden breakdowns and many other issues which can be very expensive. If you want to stay safe while driving, and concurrently, quickly, and efficiently transport different goods and materials to various locations, then this is something that you need to take care of.
The Importance Of Defensive Driving
What can be said about this? Namely, defensive driving represents the type of driving that stimulates truck drivers to continuously be aware of any potential hazards on the road, along with different road conditions.
Those who want to decrease the chances of ending up in a vehicle accident and sustain any injuries, need to be able to anticipate potentially hazardous situations, and, at the same time, be able to make wise decisions while being on the road.
There are a couple of driving methods that you can opt for that will not only make you feel safer but will help you avoid dealing with numerous repairs which can often be extremely pricey. These are the most essential ones:
Don’t forget the three-second rule – If you want to prevent rear and forward crashes, then you must rely on the three-second rule. What does it mean? It means that you must allow three seconds to pass between the time the auto that’s in front of you reaches a specific spot on the road and the time it takes for you to reach that same point. If you are in the middle of a heavy rain, wind, or snow, then you must expand this rule to five seconds.
Be prepared for emergencies – It’s important to always be prepared for any unpleasantries that may happen on the road. This means that you always need to carry things like a first-aid kit, water, food, clothes, and blankets in case you are forced to take a longer break due to bad weather, repairs, etc.
Keep A Safe Distance
The road is unpredictable and numerous bad things can occur in the blink of an eye, that's exactly why it's essential to maintain a safe distance. It means that you shouldn't be too close to other vehicles because if you are, you will increase the risk of ending up in a collision.
Since trucks are generally pretty heavy and large, you need to leave enough room between you and other drivers, in order to make sure you have enough time to move around or stop in case that’s necessary.
As previously concluded, you must always have at least three seconds between you and other vehicles that are in front of you, and if you're dealing with bad weather, then you must increase that number.
Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenanc
Unfortunately, problems that are related to maintenance are one of the most common causes of truck accidents (and road accidents in general). That’s exactly why it’s pivotal to have some sort of routine as far as this is concerned.
If you haven’t already established one, then just talk to the mechanic so you can work on developing one. It’s crucial to have a certain maintenance schedule that you can stick to.
Decrease The Lane Changes
Although this is something that cannot easily and frequently be avoided, you should do whatever is in your power to minimize lane changes. Automobiles can move through the lane fast without realizing that a massive truck is practically behind them.
Sadly, whether we like to admit it or not, people have become very reckless on the road in the past couple of years. Maybe it’s because of their smartphones or God knows what. Being distracted and irresponsible can put your life in danger, hence if you want to make some positive changes when it comes to this, then you need to follow every tip that was mentioned today.
More Automotive Articles
