Safety Tips to Avoid an Evansville Truck Accident This Holiday Season
Although people tend to think of semi truck accidents as dramatic crashes on the highway, there are as many accidents on regular streets caused by trucks’ large blind spots and wide maneuvering. As you scramble around Evansville this holiday season picking out the perfect gifts for your family and friends, keep an eye on the trucks around you, whether on the highway, a city street, or in the parking lot.
Truck Safety in Evansville Parking Lots
Especially on holidays like Black Friday, big box stores attract huge crowds throughout the holiday season with deep discounts and limited-time offers. Even when their parking lots aren’t crowded, they can be frustrating to navigate and can harbor all kinds of hazards that normal roads don’t. When you add ice, snow, and tractor trailers to these unpredictable and busy areas, they become even more dangerous.
Stores normally receive their deliveries late at night or in the early morning, so many shoppers never encounter a semi pulling through a narrow parking lot, and the trucks have more room to maneuver without rows of parked cars to avoid. However, during holiday shopping sprees, trucks will have to make more regular deliveries to keep stores in stock, and the risk of encountering one during operating hours increases.
The number one tip to stay safe in a parking lot is to go slow. Drivers have to be aware of every angle around their car as they avoid cars backing out of spaces, people taking shortcuts across empty sections, and pedestrians returning shopping carts. This is an even harder task for truck drivers, as their blind spots are much larger than a normal car’s. Because of how difficult it can be to maneuver these trucks, it’s no surprise that two-thirds of truck accidents happen in parking lots. Drive slowly; give trucks space to turn, back up, and enter or exit the parking lot if necessary.
Truck Safety on Evansville Roads
When you have to go over the river and through the woods to get to grandmother’s house each winter, the trip can become pretty tedious. What’s even more annoying is getting trapped behind a semi going five miles per hour under the speed limit, all while the holiday festivities go on without you.
On Evansville’s many two-lane highways, there are strict No Passing zones created by the Department of Transportation to keep people safe. Never pass in these areas. If you’re on a road where it’s okay to pass, only pass if you absolutely have to, especially in winter weather conditions that make it dangerous to accelerate quickly. Fight the urge to zoom around the slow-moving semi until you see only a broken yellow line between the two lanes and you have a clear view of at least half a mile down the road.
Truck Safety on Evansville Highways
Interstate travel reaches its peak during the holiday season, and the trucking industry picks up, too. Last-minute orders speed across the country as you make plans for visiting loved ones. Though there are many unwritten traffic safety tips to mention, the three most helpful ones have little to do with driving techniques and more about careful planning:
- Watch the Weather: Don’t travel long distances if conditions are dangerous
- Pack Lightly: Heavy cars handle differently than empty ones and may not respond as quickly as you’re used to
- Budget Time Generously: The less of a rush you’re in to get to your destination, the slower and safer you will be able to drive.
Trucks sometimes don’t have a choice about whether to drive in inclement weather, but you do. Choose to help both yourself and truck drivers on the road safe this holiday season by thinking through your travel and shopping plans.
Help from an Evansville Truck Accident Attorney
Accidents can happen to even the safest drivers on the road. If you’ve been involved in a semi truck accident during the holidays, give us a call. Our local truck accident attorneys will review your case for free and may be able to help get you compensation for your injuries.