T

Arizona Department of Public Safety2102 West Encanto Boulevard

Phoenix, Arizona 85009azdps.gov

Arizona Trucking Association7500 West Madison Street

Tolleson, Arizona 85353arizonatrucking.com

Teens & Trucks Share the Road Partners

AAA of ArizonaAIT Schools

Arizona Department ofTransportation / Motor Vehicle Division

Driving MBAArizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety

National Safety Council - Arizona ChapterPatricia Resetar/Mountain Ridge High School

Phoenix International RacewaySJV Consulting, Inc.

Swift Transportation Co.

Teens& Trucks

Student Workbook

Share the Road

2 23

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6. How could the crash have been avoided?

___________________________

7. What were the road conditions?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Were there any driver errors?

____________________________________________________

9. What were the speed conditions?

_____________________________________________________

10. What Share the Road principles could have been applied to avoid this crashand needless death?

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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TEENS & TRUCKS

SHARE THE ROAD

Student Textbook/Workbook

Teaching Teens and Other Young Drivers AboutSharing the Road Safely

With Large Trucks

Developed by

The Arizona Trucking AssociationThe Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)The Arizona Department of Public Safety – Commercial Vehicle Bureau

In Cooperation WithThe American Trucking Associations

PrePass

© 2009

4 21

ACCIDENT CASE STUDY

LOCAL TEEN KILLED IN WRECK

[STUDENT WORKSHEET]

STUDENT NAME: INSTRUCTOR:

SCHOOL NAME: DATE:

1. Who was involved?______

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What happened?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What time of the day did the crash happen?______

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Where did the crash happen, what type of road?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why did the crash happen?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20 5

Table of Contents

Title Page

Module 1: Introduction, History and Facts ……………………….…………….……………………………. 6-7

Module 2: Types of Vehicles on the Road ……………………………………………………………..……. 8-9

Module 3: Factors that Determine Stopping Distance …………………………………….…………………. 10-11

Module 4: Don’t Cut Off Trucks ……………………………………………………...…………………..…. 12

Module 5: Stay Out of the Blind Spots/NO Zones ………………...…….………………………….………. 13

Module 6: Following Distances ……………………….………………………………………..……………. 14

Module 7: Trucks Make Wide Turns ……………………….………………………………………………... 15

Module 8: Moving Off the Road/Move Over Law ………………….……………………….………………. 16

19Module 9: Actual Case Study: “Local Teen Killed In Wreck”!………………………………...…………….

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Module 9: Real Life Case Study

Local Teen Killed In Wreck!By John Rowski

A 16-year-old local teenager waskilled this morning in a crash atDeep Creek Parkway and Ivanhoe Boule-vard in town. The identity of thatvictim is being withheld until all ofthe family is notified.

The crash was reported shortly after8:30 a.m. on July 31. The crash oc-curred in the 900 block of SouthwestIvanhoe Boulevard at the intersectionwith the Deep Creek Parkway accessramp. Southwest Ivanhoe Boulevard isa two-lane, one-way road at thatpoint. It is part of a four lane di-vided highway.

According to the on-scene police ser-geant, the 18-wheeler was in theright lane on Southwest IvanhoeBoulevard attempting to exit on toDeep Creek Parkway. The 18-wheelermade a wide right turn, and as itdid, the pickup attempted to pass the18-wheeler on the right side.

The pickup made glancing contactwith the 18-wheeler. The pickupthen veered to the right, went offthe road, and rolled. The sergeantsaid witnesses reported that thepickup driver was traveling at ahigh rate of speed.

A representative from the SkyCounty Medical Examiners Officepronounced the driver of the pickupdead at the scene. A passenger (16years old) in the pickup did notsuffer any major injuries. Thedriver of the 18-wheeler was notinjured. The identity of the pas-senger of the pickup and the driverof the 18-wheeler are not availableyet.

The Police Department, Fire Depart-ment, and Department of PublicSafety worked the crash. The inci-dent is still under investigation.End

Sky County Daily News Dispatch

Facts of the Crash

Two large commercial motor vehicles (CMV’s) weretraveling south on Ivanhoe Boulevard in the #1 lane(left lane). The teenager driving the pick-up truck cameup in the #2 lane (right lane) at a “minimum” of 65mph(speed limit is 55 mph), and was passing the commer-cial motor vehicle (truck) just as the CMV was startingto make a right turn into the #2 lane. The pick-up truckglanced off the tractor trailer and left the roadway to theright, rolled, and the driver was crushed as the cab ofthe pick-up truck collapsed. This driver was wearing aseatbelt, but his upper body came out of the windowarea.

The truck driver was driving the speed limit, used histurn signal, but apparently did not see the pick-up truck.

The investigating officer revealed that the pick-up wasbeing followed by another vehicle (his friends) and theyhad been playing a game of “cat and mouse”! Whilethey were not racing, the car had passed the pick-up

and was now passing to the right of the two tractortrailers when the crash occurred. The investigatingofficer further revealed that the teenager driving thepick-up was driving at a “minimum of 60 – 65 milesper hour”, but the damage suggested he may havebeen driving faster. The teenager probably didn’tsee the turn signal because it was on the lead vehicleof the two trucks. The investigating officer indi-cated that evidence showed had the teenager beendriving at the speed limit, he could have avoided thecrash.

Although the trucker is being charged, the teen con-tributed significantly to the outcome of the crash.Furthermore, the teen’s actions not only cost himhis life, but will forever change the life of the truckdriver.

The weather was clear and dry, and the sun was nota factor.

Filed Police Report

18 7

Module 1: Introduction, History and Facts

Trucks are the Wheels of Commerce Crash Statistics

Tractor trailers and other large commercial motorvehicles are a vital, important part of our nation’s econ-omy. These vehicles are the “wheels of commerce” forour nation.

The principal purpose of the modern trucking in-dustry is to move goods and products, including food,fuel and clothes, from one place to another over ournation’s highways. Many estimates show that 81% ofthe value and over 60% of the nation’s freight tonnagemoves by truck! One just has to look at our highwaysto see the vast number of trucks and other large com-mercial motor vehicles moving our nation’s freight.

Because of the volume of heavy truck traffic haul-ing freight (which by the way also include productsvital to our national defense), and different handlingcharacteristics of the various vehicles sharing our high-ways as well as a lack of quality driver education pro-grams addressing these issues, it is only natural thatcrashes between vehicles do occur.

In 2007, all the people killed in motor vehiclecrashes, 12% (5,099) died in crashes that involved alarge commercial motor vehicle. Anther 124,000 peo-ple were injured in crashes involving large trucks.While truck drivers do contribute to some of thesecrashes, the facts show that too many drivers of pas-senger cars, especially young people ages 17 to 24years old, unnecessarily endanger themselves by fail-ing to recognize that trucks and cars differ in their han-dling characteristics.

From 1997 to 2007, the number of large trucksinvolved in fatal crashes declined by 10%, from 4,917to 4,584. The rate of large trucks in fatal crashesdropped 12% from 1.80 to 1.44 crashes per 100 mil-lion vehicle miles traveled. The rate for passengervehicles fell 10% from 2.10 to 1.90 crashes per millionvehicle miles traveled. While many factors are behindthe reduction in crash rates, public and driver educa-tion played a key role. Increased use of safety beltswas also a factor. But one crash is one too many andmuch remains to be done.

Consulting the chart in figure 1, we can see there were5,988 motor vehicle fatalities in the youth group 16 -20 years of age. Additionally there were 4,312 motorvehicle fatalities in the young adult group 21 - 24 yearsof age. Taken together, this is a very significant num-ber (10,300) of needless traffic fatalities.

Current statistics reveal a leading cause of crashesis distracted driving.

A series of high-profile traffic and train crasheshave turned texting into a major root cause of crashes.A driver’s eyes can leave the road for five seconds outof a six-second window while texting--enough time fora vehicle to travel the length of a football field at 55mph. A passenger car driver is 2.8 times more likelyto crash while dialing a mobile phone. Texting whiledriving currently is already illegal in Alaska, Califor-nia, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tennessee,Utah and the District of Columbia, and enforcementofficers can stop and ticket a driver for texting whiledriving. Another six states have passed legislation toprohibit text messaging while driving effective inJanuary 2010.

Fig 2: NHTSA Crime/Crash clock

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Module 2: Types of Vehicles on the Road

Passenger Vehicles

Passenger vehicles come in all sizes, shapes, colorsand body styles. Passenger vehicles range from 12 feetto 17 feet in length and are approximately 6 ½ feetwide.

The typical passenger vehicle weighs approxi-mately 3,000 pounds, with some pick-up trucks andsport utility vehicles weighing up to 5,000 pounds.

The typical passenger vehicle also has a low centerof gravity. The height of a passenger vehicle is typi-cally around 4 feet, while SUV’s and some pick-uptrucks can be as tall as 6 ½ feet. The taller the vehicle,the higher its center of gravity is, and therefore, theeasier it is to roll it over.

Think of a race car and a tractor trailer positionedside by side on a race track. Picture how much tallerthe tractor trailer is than the race car. Picture the trac-tor trailer starting around the race track and picking upspeed with every lap it completes. Eventually, thetruck would roll over. Let’s say that happened in aturn at 70 mph. The race car will go around the trackat ease with no danger of rolling over until it reachesmuch higher speeds because of the differences in thevehicles center of gravity. Remember, the taller thevehicle, the higher its center of gravity, and the easierit is to roll over.

Commercial Motor Vehicles

A straight truck (see Fig 3) is a single unit truck withthe engine, cab, and cargo compartment all on the sameframe. These trucks can be up to 14 ft in length, 13 fthigh and weigh up to 80,000 lbs. Their high center ofgravity and shorter wheel base makes them as suscepti-ble to rollovers as conventional tractor trailers.

A truck tractor is used to pull non-motorized trailers.There are two general truck tractor styles: Conven-tional and Cab-over.

On conventional tractors (see Fig 4) , the engine isextended from the cab. These vehicles have some dis-advantages, such as long wheel bases, that make thevehicle more difficult to turn around in tight spaces.Another disadvantage is that the extended hood blocksthe driver’s sightline to the front of the vehicle.

Cab-over tractors (see Fig 5) have a shorter wheelbase, which allows them to turn more easily in tightspaces. Because cab-overs sit higher off the groundand have no extended hood, drivers have a betterview of the space in front of the vehicle. However,cab-overs represent a much smaller share of thetrucks on the road today than they ever did.

Fig 4: Conventional tractor Fig 5: Cab-over tractor

Fig 3: Straight truck

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Case Studyand

Worksheet

16

Module 8: Moving Off the Road/Move Over Law

Anytime a mechanical or other problem forces you toexit the highway or road, move as far off the roadway tothe right as possible. Please keep in mind that some of themost deadly traffic crashes occur when distracted, inatten-tive, or impaired drivers drift off the road to the right andstrike stopped cars or trucks. Investigations into theseaccidents often show that the driver never applies his orher brakes. As a result, the impact force and the severityof the crash was much greater.

Additionally, there is evidence of a trend with peopledeveloping tunnel vision while driving. Tests have shownthat people tend to steer where they are looking. There-fore, when professional racecar drivers witness a crash oftwo other vehicles, they look for and steer towards the gapin the crash. This tunnel vision is also one of the reasonsthat patrol cars sometimes get hit when making a routinetraffic stop.

Dust storms, heavy rains and other weather that ob-scures visibility can cause motorists to pull over and stop,or worse, stop in the roadway. Remember, drivers behindyou cannot see you either. Pull over as far to the right aspossible before stopping.

Most states have enacted “move over” laws thatrequire motorists to move over or slow down whenpolice officers and other emergency service person-nel are present on the side of the road. These statesnormally post signage indicating motorists shouldmove over or slow down in these situations.

Even in states that do not require moving overfor emergency vehicles, it is a good idea to do so orto slow down. Professional truck and bus drivers aretrained to employ this safety practice on the road.Passenger car drivers should be aware that trucksmay move over to avoid obstacles on the shoulder.Because of the limited visibility around large trucksand buses, passenger car drivers may not see a haz-ard and therefore not anticipate the truck respondingto the hazard.

Sharing the road means anticipating large trucksand buses moving over to avoid police officers andother hazards on the shoulder.

Moving off the Road Move Over Law

Fig 18: Typical situation requiring abeyance with state move over laws

9

A tractor semi-trailer (see Fig 6) is the modelcombination most widely used and seen on the highway.This is most commonly called an “eighteen wheeler”. Inthis configuration, the front of the trailer rests on theback of the tractor. The two are connected by a fifthwheel (located on the rear axle of the tractor) and a kingpin (located on the bottom front of the trailer). The fifthwheel is the pivot point between the tractor and thetrailer. A fully loaded tractor trailer can weigh up to80,000 pounds under federal law.

With all types of large trucks, the height of the vehi-cle combination affects emergency maneuvering. Ataround 13’6” tall, these vehicles have a higher center ofgravity than a passenger vehicle. This can make them“top heavy”, which means they can roll over easily ifthey are forced to make quick lane changes or take quickevasive maneuvers. For this reason, professional truckdrivers have been trained to a high degree of skill inhandling their vehicles. They receive ongoing training invehicle handling characteristics, through skid pad exer-cises and defensive driving classes.

Another style of trailer is called the full trailer.This trailer is built so that no part of its weight restsupon the vehicle pulling it. A full trailer is fully sup-ported by its own axles. These are most commonlyused as a second trailer in a double-trailer rig (seeFig 7).

This type of tractor trailer requires additionaltraining and a higher degree of skill to operate. Pro-fessional truck drivers driving doubles receive addi-tional training and must pass additional driving teststo operate them. Because of the additional trailer andadditional pivot point, this type of vehicle must make“slower” evasive maneuvers if and when required.However, because of the higher degree of trainingthese drivers receive, these vehicles have one of thelowest accident records of all the different large truckgroups.

Fig 6: Tractor semi-trailer

Fig 7: A double-trailer rig

Module 2: Types of Vehicles on the Road (continued)

10

Your Car = 4,000 lbs

Module 3: Factors that Determine Stopping Distance

Stopping Distance

Total stopping distance is the distance your ve-hicle travels from the time you slow down or brake untilit stops. Total stopping distance is made up of severalcomponents:

perception distance reaction distance braking distance

Perception distance is the distance a vehicletravels while a driver is identifying, predicting and de-ciding to slow for a hazard. Perception distance can beaffected by visibility and the placement and motion ofthe hazard itself.

Reaction time is the time it takes for a driver toexecute a decision once danger is recognized. The dis-tance your vehicle travels while you react is called a re-action distance.

Most drivers have an average reaction time of3/4 of a second. A variety of factors can influence adriver’s reaction time such as fatigue, drugs, alcohol,age and experience of driver.

Braking distance is the distance a vehicle travelsfrom the time a driver begins pressing on the brake pedaluntil the vehicle comes to a stop. There are many factorsthat affect the braking distance of a vehicle including:

Speed - higher speeds will cause the vehicleto take longer to stop.

Vehicle condition - tires, brakes, and sus-pension all can affect braking distance de-pending on their condition.

Roadway surface - rain, snow, leaves,gravel, and dirt can add to a vehicle’sbraking distance.

Hills - braking distances will increaseon a downhill grade.

With large tractor trailers, there are a fewother factors to be considered in stopping distance,including:

Brake Lag DistanceThe typical tractor trailer is over 70 feet

long. When a professional truck driver presses onthe brake pedal, it takes time for that brake signal totravel to all the wheels on the tractor trailer. All thetime this signal is traveling to all the wheels, thetruck is still traveling down the highway. The actualtime is about 3/4 of a second. This delay is called“brake lag” and the distance the vehicle travels inthis amount of time is called “brake lag distance”.

Weight of the VehicleTractor trailers have much longer braking

distances than passenger vehicles because of theirheavier weight. Tractor trailers and other largetrucks are designed to haul many different loads ofvarying weights. As mentioned before, a typicaltractor trailer or other large truck can weigh as muchas 80,000 pounds by law. Consequently, they havemassive braking systems designed to allow them tosafely stop. The heavier a vehicle is, the more en-ergy it needs to stop. A lighter passenger vehiclewill need less energy to stop than a large tractortrailer.

It would take up to twenty passenger vehicles to equal the weight of a fully loaded tractor trailer (80,000lbs)

Fig 8: Weight Comparison for a passenger vehicle vs. a fully loaded tractor trailer.

15

Module 7: Trucks Make Wide Turns

A common cause of collisions between cars andtrucks at intersections is the inability of motorists to ac-curately determine the speed of an approaching truckbefore turning into the intersection. When in doubtabout the speed of an oncoming truck, do not turn left inits path or drive toward it in an attempt to pass anothervehicle. Even at legal speeds, the truck may be goingfaster than you think.

Because of their overall length, large trucks have alarger turning radius. Often large trucks will move intoadjacent lanes prior to and after a turning movement toavoid driving over a curb or sidewalk. This can be dan-gerous for drivers that are not aware of or don't expectthese movements.

When making a right turn, large trucks will oftenmove left prior to making the turn. Car drivers may seethis as a lane change to the left, not the beginning of aright turn, and attempt to pass on the right. If the truck’sright turn signal is on, do not attempt to pass on the right.

Passing any large truck on the right can be risky.Occasionally truck drivers will fail to signal or the trailersignal light may be inoperative. Safe drivers will wait toassess the truck driver's intent before passing.

If a truck is stopped at or approaching an intersec-tion, never attempt to “cut in” along the right side as thedriver first maneuvers left, or you will find yourself“sandwiched” between the turning truck and the curb.

Trying to pass a right-turning truck on the leftcan also present dangers. If the truck swings wideenough, it can force you to stray into oncoming traf-fic or the median. Always give a truck driverenough clearance and time to complete a turn safely.

Similar concerns arise when large trucks makeleft turns. Truck drivers turning left may first swingwide to the right to enter a cross street. The sharperthe turn, the narrower the intersection, and thelonger the truck, the wider the driver must go. Wideturns can cause a truck’s trailer to cut off or“squeeze” car drivers on either side, especially ifvehicles move into the truck’s NO Zones during aturn.

Many intersections are marked with stop lines,indicating where a driver must come to a completestop. Stop lines keep cars far enough back from theintersection to be out of the path of turning trafficand of pedestrians. Crowding the intersection bystopping beyond the stop line can leave your vehicleexposed to trucks attempting to turn, as well as toother cross traffic. Failing to observe stop lines canalso result in a traffic ticket.

Passing large trucks on city streets and at inter-sections can be risky. Sharing the road means deter-mining as best you can the intent of the truck driverand driving defensively. Avoid passing trucks whenthey are turning.

Trucks turning

Fig 17: While not ideal, narrow intersections canforce a truck driver to make a wide turn to avoidhitting a curb or barrier.

Fig 16 : The driver of this car tried to pass thetruck on the right side as the truck driver waspreparing to make a right turn.

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Module 6: Following Distances

Information about following distances

One of the biggest problems from tailgating a largetruck or bus is that the tailgater has a very limited sightdistance. If you follow too closely, the truck’s size willprevent you from viewing much of the road ahead. Youwill be forced to depend on the truck’s brake lights for asignal that something is going on or there is a hazardahead. Avoid following too closely, and position yourvehicle so the truck driver can see it and you can seehim or her in the side mirrors of the truck.

When you stop behind a truck, always leave plentyof room between your vehicle and the truck. Also,move your vehicle slightly to the left side of your laneso that the driver can see you in his/her side mirror.

Being too close to the rear of a tractor trailer when itis stopped can contribute to a rollback collision. Thistype of collision generally occurs when a truck driver isforced to stop on an upgrade. As the driver takes hisfoot off the brake and engages the clutch, the truck mayroll backwards a few feet, and could accidentally strikethe vehicle behind it.

Another extreme hazard for passenger car drivers isrunning into the back of a large tractor trailer. This typeof collision is known as an under-ride, in which a por-tion of the passenger vehicle slides under the rear of thetruck. Under-rides can occur between two passengervehicles, but are more common and more dangerousbetween a passenger vehicle and a large truck.

Following large trucks too closely can place motor-ists in danger if, in rare occurrences, debris/objectsshould fall from the truck, or a tire should unexpectedlyblow out. Even cargo that has been correctly loaded andsecured can shift and fall due to no fault of the truckdriver. Objects on the roadway can be thrown into thepath of a vehicle that is following too closely.

Trucks and professional drivers today go throughtough law enforcement inspections. Additionally, pro-fessional drivers receive ongoing training in how to rec-ognize mechanical items that are about to fail or break.If you, the young driver, are aware of these possibilitiesand share the road safely with professional truck drivers,you can possibly avoid a crash resulting in propertydamage, injury, or death.

The 3-second following distance rule.

1. A 3-second following distance provides a safespace cushion from the vehicle ahead in mostnormal driving situations. Use these steps tomeasure your 3-second following distance.Pick a fixed checkpoint on the road ahead.Road marks or shad­ows make good fixedcheck­points.

2. When the vehicle ahead of you passes yourcheckpoint, count: “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three”, for your3-second count.

3. Now, check to see that your vehicle is stillshort of your fixed checkpoint. If not, slowand add more distance.

This 3-second technique works well at all speedsfor measuring a normal following distance. As yourspeed increases, so does the distance your vehicletravels during your 3-second count. Thus, when youcount off 3 seconds, your following distance will in-crease at higher speeds. This 3-second distance is notthe total stopping distance you need to avoid hitting astationary object. A 3­second following distance onlyprotects you from colliding with the vehicle you arefollowing. Increase your following distance to morethan 3-seconds to avoid a collision.

3-Second following distance

Fig 15: This car is not following the truck at a safedistance.

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Module 3 : Factors that Determine Stopping Distances (continued)

Stopping Distance Comparison and Center of Gravity

A passenger vehicle weighing 4000 pounds,traveling under ideal conditions at a speed of 55 milesper hour, will take 225 feet to stop, or less than thelength of a football field.

A fully loaded tractor trailer weighing80,000 pounds traveling under ideal conditions at aspeed of 55 miles per hour will take 430 feet to stop,or almost the length of two football fields. This is a91% longer stopping distance than that of passengervehicles!

Center of gravity differences

As previously mentioned, a typical passengervehicle is approximately four to six feet high. A typicaltractor trailer (eighteen wheeler) is 13 feet 6 inches tall,and fully loaded, will have freight stacked up to the topof the roof of the trailer

Common laws of physics dictate that thetaller an object is, the easier it will be to tip over.Driving safely around large trucks and buses, andpracticing these sharing the road driving techniques,will lessen the chance that their drivers will have tomake any evasive moves!

Fig 9: Comparison of Stopping Distances

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Module 4: Don’t Cut Off Trucks

Passing Large Tractor Trailers

Many motorists are nervous about passing trucksbecause of their size. Another reason motorists are re-luctant to pass is because of wind turbulence, or windbuffeting. Wind turbulence is caused by the large truckmoving through the air and displacing the air all aroundit. That displacement causes wind turbulence and is feltby the passenger car driver as a buffeting effect on her/his vehicle.

What you need to remember is that the turbulencewill push the vehicles apart, not pull them together. Thesame simple rules apply for safely passing a large tractortrailer as for passing another car.

The first step in safely passing is to check the trafficin front and behind. Don’t pull out if you’re being over-taken by traffic from behind or if there is other trafficapproaching. Once you have decided to pass and see

that the roadway is clear, do not hesitate. Declareyour intention to pass by using your turn signal andfollow through, making your pass as quickly andsafely as possible. Fewer crashes occur when thereis clear, decisive action.

Truck drivers work hard to get up to normalhighway speeds, sometimes shifting through asmany as 15 gears. For this reason, and becausetrucks take longer to stop due to their size andweight, the drivers appreciate it and you will besafer if you maintain the pace. After you pass, besure to move back into their lane only when you cansee the front of the truck in your rearview mirror.After you pass a truck, maintain a safe speed untilyou are well ahead of the large truck, keeping inmind the longer stopping distance required of a fullyloaded tractor trailer.

When you pass and move in front of trucks withoutleaving enough room, you create an unsafe situation andactually break the law. Most states have a traffic lawregarding lane usage or passing that requires you leave asafe distance between your car and the vehicle you passbefore moving into their lane

Passenger car drivers can help truck driversanticipate traffic conditions by signaling lanechanges well in advance. Sharing the road is alwayssafer than ignoring other vehicles and pushing yourway through traffic.

Fig 10: Don’t be cited for unsafe lane changes Fig 11: Signal your intention to pass and then do sosafely.

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Fig 12: The NO Zones

Module 5: Stay Out of the Blind Spots/NO Zones

Explanation of blind spots/NO Zones

Motorists are often under the false impression thatbecause truck drivers sit up high, they can see more of theroad. In fact, compared with passenger vehicles, truckshave more blind spots (also called NO Zones). A federalstudy found that 65 percent of car-truck crashes in 2007took place in NO Zones.

In addition to blind spots on either side of the cab,there is a deep blind spot up to 200 feet long directly

behind large trucks. When you are in that NO Zonethe driver cannot see you and in which your view oftraffic is severely limited. Drivers in truck cabswith long hoods cannot see up to 20 feet in front oftheir bumper. This is enough room for a car to slipinto a position of danger and be completely unseenby the driver. Even truck cabs with no extendedhood, called cab-overs, can have a front blind spotup to 10 feet long.

When drivers travel in a truck’s NO-Zones, they putthemselves at a high degree of risk because they cannotbe seen by the truck driver. (see Fig 13) . When you arefollowing a large truck, increase your following distanceto allow clear sight distance ahead. Stay far enough backso you can see the side view mirrors of the truck. Referto figure 14 to see what you should not do. If you can’tsee one of the driver’s side view mirrors, then the drivercan’t see you.

Trucks hauling oversize loads require evenmore space to turn, can take up more than one lane,and can be required by law to travel at slowerspeeds. All these factors make it important for mo-torists to exercise patience and extra caution.

Fig 13: Make sure you can see the driver in his mirrorso they can see you.

Fig 14: This car is following the tanker muchtoo closely.