More than 2 million tractor-trailers travel U.S. roadways, and sharing the road with vehicles that can weigh as much as 40 tons can be unnerving for motorists in Connecticut and around the country. Collisions with large and heavy commercial vehicles tend to end badly for passenger vehicle occupants, but remaining vigilant and eschewing ill-advised maneuvers can help drivers to avoid accidents and allow them to reach their destinations unharmed.
Few passenger vehicle drivers have spent time behind the wheel of a semi-tractor trailer, and they are not used to coping with large blind spots while maintaining control of cumbersome vehicles. Maintaining proper distances is crucial when navigating around trucks that require the length of almost two football fields to brake to a halt from 55 mph, and being stuck between two tractor-trailers is a particularly unenviable position to be in when evasive action is required.
Commercial vehicle drivers know that steering and not braking provides them with their best chance of avoiding an accident, and this means that motorists who travel nonchalantly beside tractor-trailers are placing themselves in an extremely precarious situation. Passenger vehicle drivers should also pay close attention to truck turn signals and never attempt to pass commercial vehicles on the right unless road conditions present them with no alternative.
The defendants in truck accident lawsuits often claim that the plaintiffs were at fault, and experienced personal injury attorneys may expect these arguments when representing those who have been harmed in collisions with tractor-trailers. Most modern commercial vehicles feature electronic systems that monitor the actions of their drivers, and the data captured by these systems could be used by attorneys to learn what transpired in the moments before a crash.
