The Big Trucks Campaign, a public safety awareness initiative launched by the Missouri Department of Transportation, is focused on decreasing the number of big rig truck related collisions on state roadways. The campaign encourages truck drivers to maintain a safe speed and drive carefully in accordance with safety regulations regarding traffic and seat belts, and encourages the drivers of smaller vehicles to proceed with caution when sharing the road with big rig trucks.
Drivers of smaller vehicles often put themselves in unnecessary danger when large commercial vehicles are nearby, and many collisions can be avoided, according to transportation department officials.
According to safety guidelines provided by the transportation department’s campaign, motorists should avoid unsafe lane changes when passing a larger commercial vehicle, and make efforts to keep their smaller vehicles out of the blind spots of trucks and buses. Only pass in the lane left of a commercial vehicle, and maintain a following distance of at least 200 feet at all times when following a large truck. Seatbelts have been proven to reduce the risk of being killed in a car accident by approximately 45 percent, and state traffic law requires that the drivers of both commercial vehicles and smaller passenger vehicles wear them on the road.
As a Ventura car accident attorney, I hope that this effort and others like it are successful in making the roads safer for motorists and commercial drivers alike. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a traffic accident of any kind, I urge you to consider discussing your case with a San Bernardino car accident lawyer.