Follow these simple road safety tips while driving
Cars and large trucks all use the same roadways everyday, but do drivers really know how to share the road safely? Here are some tips for all of us using the highways:
- Trucks create wind gusts. Keep both hands on the wheel when you pass a truck or when a truck passes you.
- Leave plenty of room between you and a truck when stopping on a hill. Trucks may roll back as the driver takes his or her foot off the brake.
- Do not speed up when a truck is passing you. Instead, stay to the right and slow down slightly. This will get you out of the truck’s blind spot faster.
- If a truck driver is signaling to change lanes, provide the space. An average truck changing lanes at highway speeds needs an eight-second gap or 700 feet – the length of almost two-and-a-half football fields.
- Do not cut in front of a truck without leaving him plenty of space in case traffic suddenly slows. Big trucks, with their higher mass, take longer to slow to a stop.
Prevent Towing Thefts
- If parking on the street, turn the wheels toward the curb and set your parking brake. This can prevent someone from stealing your car by towing it away.
- If parking in a lot or driveway, front-wheel drive cars should pull into the space (front first); rear-wheel drive cars should back into the space. Apply the parking brake and lock the vehicle.
- If you live in a high-crime area, consider buying an additional theft protection device.