How to Safely Pass a Truck on the Highway
How to Safely Pass a Truck on the Highway
Highway driving is taxing at best, but when you find yourself stuck behind a big rig, the aggravation can become even worse. It’s understandable to want to get around these behemoths. Just take care not to endanger your life or those around you while doing it.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 250,000 collisions between cars and trucks occur each year. According to the National Safety Council, 147,000 people were injured, and 4,965 were killed in large-truck crashes in 2020. The majority of those killed (71 percent) were occupants of other vehicles.
None of us wants to be part of these statistics. The key to safe passing is patience, alertness, and clear signaling. Below are tips for safely passing trucks and avoiding becoming a traffic-accident victim.
Trucks Can’t Stop on a Dime
Trucks weigh much more than passenger cars–18-wheelers weigh 20 to 30 times more–and are much longer. The laws of physics make it impossible for such massive vehicles to slow down quickly. A car traveling at 55 mph takes about 140 feet to stop; a large truck traveling at the same speed requires up to 400 feet. This is why we usually see a truck driving several passenger-car lengths behind the vehicle directly in front so that the driver can stop the truck without hitting the vehicle. Other drivers who pull into that gap risk being rear-ended or worse.
Stay Out of Their Blind Spots and Be Aware of Yours
Big trucks have large blind spots on all sides. Never drive close to the rear of a truck–their drivers can’t see anything directly behind them. You especially don’t want to follow too closely just before passing. Since the truck driver can’t see you, they may decide to pull into the left lane at the very moment you’re trying to pass.
Likewise, those directly behind trucks cannot see any of the traffic ahead of the truck, so a car that tries to swerve around a truck may find itself hitting another car.
Always Pass On the Left, Never on the Right
Always pass to the truck’s left so the driver can see you in their side-view mirror. The right side is a particularly bad blind spot, so the truck driver is less likely to see a car passing on its right and might switch to the right-hand lane, leading to an accident.
While Passing, Don’t Linger In the Lane Next To the Truck
Once you pull out into the left-hand lane, drive as quickly as reasonably possible to minimize time spent in the truck’s left-hand blind spot. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t see the driver in his side-view mirror when you’re passing, he can’t see you either.
Don’t Try and Pass When Another Car is Passing
If you find yourself one of several cars trying to get around a truck, don’t tailgate another and try to pass simultaneously. You risk running into the truck’s rear, getting into its blind spot for too long, or colliding with the car in front of you.
Give the Truck Room Before Pulling in Front of It
After you’ve passed the truck, if you want to pull in front of it, make sure there’s enough space between the two of you so you can see the truck cab in your rearview mirror. And once in front of the truck, don’t change lanes again until you can see the entire truck in your rearview mirror.
No Three-Lane Passing
Never attempt a three-lane pass: passing a truck on its left, then immediately crossing over two lanes to its right-hand side. The truck’s size will prevent you from seeing what’s on the other side, and you could end up colliding with a car driving in the lane you were aiming for.
Manfred Sternberg & Associates is a full-service law firm in Houston, Texas. Our personal injury lawyers have years of successful client representation in a broad range of personal injury cases. Contact us here or at 713-547-5460.
