Are you riding in the "No Zone"?   Can you be seen by the truck driver?  All vehicles have a blind spot.  Larger vehicles have a larger blind spot.  To protect yourself when driving around trucks , stay out of the "No Zone"  If you can't see the face of the driver in his mirror he will not be able to see you.  Don't get blocked in beside a "big rig" like the car shown in the picture.  Not only is he in the blind spot, he is in a dangerous position if the truck has a tire blow out.  The pressure from it could cause the driver to be pushed off the road.  The graphic below illustrates the size of the blind spots around a large truck.

Why are there so many trucks on the road?
Central Pennsylvania has always been a center for commerce in our country from the very early days.  The Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia,  and Robert E. Lee brought his troops to central Pennsylvana to attempt to disrupt rail traffic through Harrisburg.  Fortunately, he was stopped in Gettysburg.  Average truck density in traffic on our nations highways is about one vehicle in ten.  In this area it ranges from four to six in ten or even higher.  This area continues to be attractive to trucking companies because they can reach two thirds of our nation's population by truck in 48 hours.  We can expect  to continue to see a high density of trucks on the highway.

How Do I protect myself when driving around trucks?

We know from crash investigations that when there is a crash involving a large truck and a passenger vehicle the most serious injuries usually involve the automobile passengers.  We also know that in the majority of cases the automobile driver is at fault.  Since we can expect the number of trucks on the raodway to remain high it is necessary for us to protect ourselves, and drive defensively.  There are several actions which can be taken to improve our safety.

• Always wear a seatbelt
• Always signal your intentions in traffic
• Always allow plenty of space when passing.  Be sure you can see the full frontend of the truck before pulling back in
• Don't linger in the "No Zone"
• Leave plenty of space in front of your vehicle in cas of an incident