Avoiding "King of the Road"

Big rigs are nostalgically known as the “kings of the road”. It happens, however, that the road is not a monarchy and you have as much right to it as does any big rig. A big rig crash is usually financially devastating, and even then you must consider yourself lucky to be alive if you’re involved with one. There are ways you can protect yourself from these accidents. All of them involve being aware of your surroundings and understanding that even a properly maintained big rig with all the required mirrors is full of blind spots. Remember the following tips:

• If you cannot see the mirrors on a big rig, the driver cannot see you. Your following distance should always be far enough away that you can see the driver’s side mirrors.
• Try not to drive alongside semis except to pass. This is the most dangerous place to be, aside from directly in front of the truck.
• Semi trucks create powerful drafts when they pass or you pass them. Expect this and, if you’re on a motorcycle, expect to be pulled around a bit.
• Semis cannot slow down as well as cars on steep inclines. Give them room to pass. They’re hot hogging the road: They’re being pulled faster by their own inertia.
• Never get between two semis. This is, obviously, extremely dangerous.
• Semis make very wide right turns so that they can straighten their trailers in the lane their entering. Never pass a semi on the right when they’re turning.
• Use your horn. If a driver is driving like they don’t see you, make sure they hear you.
• A truck accident lawyer will oftentimes have to look into the safety record and policies of the company involved in a wreck. Remember that, sometimes, it’s not your fault.

Big rig trucks have to be maintained according to rigid federal and state regulations. If they’re not, you likely have a case if they crash into you. An attorney will make sure that the company didn’t violate the law by having their drivers operate too long without breaks or by failing to maintain their equipment. If you’re involved with a big rig accident, never accept a check from the company without consulting an attorney. Sometimes the company will make a fair offer and sometimes not. Only an experienced truck accident attorney, however, will really know for sure what you’re being offered.