Are you daydreaming of relaxing on the beach with your toes in the sand? Is the allure of the open road calling your name? If so, you aren’t the only one! 

July is considered the peak of summer vacation season, with record numbers of people recently traveling for the long July 4th weekend.

The combination of low gas prices, a robust economy, low unemployment, and growing disposable incomes have more Americans than ever hitting the road this summer, according to AAA.

With so many additional drivers out there, it’s especially important to understand how to harmoniously share the road with commercial vehicles.

Follow these 7 tips to stay safe around semis this summer

So what do truckers want you to know? Check out this advice from American Trucking Associations (ATA) highway safety program Share the Road.

1. Practice defensive driving
   It can be easy to become complacent while driving, especially on lengthy road trips, but remaining alert and focused is key — especially around big trucks. Semis are much larger vehicles and can’t simply stop on a dime, making them slower to react to avoid collisions. Always be looking ahead, staying attentive to changes in traffic flow and weather conditions, as well as vehicle signals so you can anticipate problems and have plenty of time to safely change course if necessary.

2. Keep a safe distance
   As mentioned above, semitrucks just aren’t as easy to maneuver as passenger vehicles. They simply can’t stop or accelerate as quickly. So, whether you’re behind, in front of, or beside a large truck, leave plenty of space for merging, swerving, and maneuvering. To be safe, keep at least a four-second following distance between you and the trailer in case of a sudden stop.

3. Be aware of blind spots
   Do you know what the biggest blind spot is for a truck driver? The right side of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) can sometimes block their view for three or more lanes. It’s also important to be conscious of hanging out directly in front of the cab, behind the trailer, and certain zones along the driver’s side. Steer clear of these areas to ensure visibility.

4. Don’t linger in the left lane
   When it comes to passing a semi, drive closer to the shoulder rather than the truck, and speed up instead of hanging out in the left lane.

5. Cutting a semi off isn’t just bad driving etiquette…
   At the risk of sounding like a broken record, remember that semis require much longer stopping distances — up to two football fields when traveling 65 mph. To avoid a rear-end collision, make sure the entire front end of the truck is visible before merging in front of it.

6. Be conscious of your bright lights
   When traveling near or past a semi, dim your bright headlights. When traveling at speeds of 55 mph, the reflection of bright lights off large truck mirrors can cause two seconds or more of temporary blindness. A good general rule is to lower your bright lights when you’re one block (or less) behind a semi.

7. Signal for safety
   Because large trucks require more time to react to passenger vehicles braking, turning, or merging lanes, drivers need to signal at least three seconds or more before upcoming changes. This timing allows the truck driver enough time to slow down or move over.

Operation Safe Driver Week aims to keep roads safer during summer traffic spike

As you are harmoniously sharing the roads with semis, keep in mind that this week (July 14-20) law enforcement agencies across North America will be out in force looking for dangerous driving by drivers of both commercial and passenger vehicles alike for Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week.

The focus for this year’s campaign? Speeding.

While officers will be focusing on catching drivers who are speeding, they will also be looking for these other violations:

·     texting

·     failure to wear a seatbelt

·     impaired driving

·     unsafe lane changes

·     failure to obey a traffic device

While speeding might not seem like a big deal to some, this bad habit comes with serious consequences. In 2017, speeding was a factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities, according to CVSA.

 During last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week, more than 57,000 citations were issued to passenger and commercial vehicle drivers.