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Truck Driver Accident Prevention & Safety Tips to Avoid or Handle Incidents on the Road

Semi Service June 24, 2019

No driver wants to be involved in an accident. Truck drivers are no exception, which is why truck driver accident prevention is an important part of the job for every driver. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compiles a Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts report. According to the NHTSA data utilized in the 2017 report (the latest report published), the number of large trucks involved fatal, injury, and property-damage crashes all increased in 2017, up from 2016.

So, what can you do to reduce the chances of being involved in an accident? Here are some tips for accident prevention, the first and most important part of safe driving.

Tips for Truck Driver Accident Prevention

Keeping Your Eyes on the Road

It probably comes as no surprise, but avoiding distractions is the No. 1 thing for truck driver accident prevention. All drivers need to keep their eyes on the road. One thing that you can use to your advantage is your height. You can see incoming traffic jams and potential issues earlier than other drivers, especially on straight roads.

Not all accidents can be avoided, but most can. By focusing on five A’s of basic safety: Alert, Aware, Attentive, Analytical, and Adaptable, you can avert unnecessary – or preventable – accidents.

Pay Attention to Unusual Traffic Patterns

Alert: the first line of defense is to know your surroundings, so the most important thing you can do is pay attention and be alert. It is important to be alert to the traffic around you in order to be proactive. The more time you spend on the road, the more familiar you’ll get with noticing unusual traffic patterns and signs of traffic troubles. The more familiar you become with these signs, the more controlled your responses become to slowing traffic. Controlled responses are always safer than immediate, panicked ones, and give you a much higher chance of avoiding a truck driver accident.

Being alert gives you time to move into a different lane if necessary. You’ll be in a better position to exit when necessary rather than having to fight to get to an off-ramp through a traffic jam. Likewise, if there is an accident or emergency vehicle stopped on the shoulder, you’ll have more time to move towards the center lane.

Follow Safety Precautions in Inclement Weather

Aware: being informed of the weather – both current and predicted conditions – is the best way to be aware of road conditions. When you are aware of the conditions, you can follow proper safety precautions for inclement weather. For safety, it’s imperative to keep your speed appropriate for your level of visibility to avoid truck driver accidents.

When you are driving in snowy conditions or fog, you can encounter surprises at every turn or mile marker. In the same way, slick or icy conditions from rain, freezing rain, sleet, or hail can limit your reaction time. While semi-truck brakes are effective, braking too hard is an easy way to jackknife or cause damage to your cargo, not to mention the possibility of damage to other vehicles on the road.

You also want to make sure you are aware of the laws of the state you’re in. If you’re long-haul driving through snow, have snow chains if necessary.

Keep Your Truck in Peak Condition

Attentive: maintaining your vehicle is one of the top ways to avoid preventable accidents, so be attentive to your maintenance schedule and never skip steps in your inspections. Faulty parts of a semi-truck or trailer can lead to breakdowns or other issues that make truck driver accidents more likely. And it’s certainly no secret that major failures of a semi-trailer can cause catastrophic incidents.

Proper semi-trailer maintenance helps your vehicle operate the way you expect it to. Being attentive to the condition of your truck is a key factor in avoiding problems and making it easier for you to stay in control.

What to Do in the Event of an Accident

The fact is, no matter how well you prepare or how carefully you drive, even a perfect driver will eventually be involved in an accident. Unfortunately there is no amount of accident prevention that can protect you from other distracted drivers. When involved in an accident, try to exercise the 4th A of safety, Analytical. Follow these basic steps to ensure your safety and the safety of others as well as preventing further injury to people, vehicles or cargo.

Maximize Visibility

Analytically, the first thing to do following a truck driver accident is to avoid a pile-up. Always have reflectors or road flares with you and use them right away in order to make the accident visible. By maximizing visibility, you can prevent other drivers from hitting you, hitting others involved, or being surprised and creating a separate accident. Visibility also helps in serious accidents when emergency services need to quickly locate the vehicles involved.

Contact Emergency Services & Your Company

The next analytical step in the event of an accident is to contact emergency services. Even if it seems like nobody was hurt, they need to be contacted to keep the scene safe, take statements, and assess potential injuries. When calling in an accident, try to give the most accurate location. GPS devices can be incredibly helpful is these situations.

Another analytical step is letting the relevant parties know of your delay if you’re an independent owner-operator or, if you work for a carrier, contact them as soon as possible. They likely have their own procedures in place for handling accidents and will want to them right away.

Don’t Move Your Vehicle – In Most Cases

Finally, the best course of action in most accidents is to keep all vehicles in place. This helps maintain evidence of the incident as well as preventing anyone from making statements that you attempted to change the scene.

The exception to this rule is if your truck is completely blocking traffic or creating another type of unsafe condition. In a truck driver accident situation where the scene is unsafe, the final safety step comes into play, be Adaptable.

If your vehicle is posing a threat to the scene and it’s safe to move, you need to be adaptable and position your truck out of the way. If you must move your truck, take several pictures from every angle you can safely manage before moving it. This will provide as much information about the accident as possible for the emergency services, while keeping the safety of those involved as well as those traveling in the area, a top priority.

Contact Semi Service Today

We service, repair, install, and upfit all types of trucks, vans, and trailers. Don’t know where to start? We can answer your questions and help you find what you need. Contact us online or give us a call at (801) 895-4419 to get started today!

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