Drivers of smaller cars being warned to respect large trucks
Posted October 17, 2017 6:18 pm.
Last Updated October 17, 2017 6:20 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The latest RoadSafetyBC education and enforcement campaign draws attention to disturbing numbers of fatal crashes that could have been prevented.
Mark Donnelly with the Trucking Safety Council of BC says crashes involving large trucks are among the top three causes of injuries across the province.
“Approximately 300 people die every year in traffic collisions in BC and about 60 –one in five– they’re killed in crashes involving large commercial vehicles. Studies showed, in those fatal car-truck crashes, the driver of the passenger vehicle is at fault at least two thirds of the time.”
Donnelly also warns against letting road rage make you a statistic.
“Large trucks need more room to stop and to turn. Don’t merge too soon. Make sure you can see both the truck headlights in your rear-view mirror. Don’t drive in a truck’s blind spots and last, anticipate wide turns. Trucks typically need to swing left before they turn right and many times, drivers will see that as an opportunity to come up on the right hand side.”
He adds only one per cent of all collisions involve large trucks.
“Eighty per cent of the drivers we interviewed indicated they do know how to drive safely around large commercial trucks, but 40 per cent say they don’t do it all the time and a third of the drivers that responded to our survey say they’re nervous when driving around large trucks.”
The Be Truck Aware campaign runs from now until the end of the month.
