Smart Drivers:

Trucks are important to the United

States economy. They transport

products that are critical to life—

and those that make life a lot 

more comfortable. However, as 

a motorist, sharing the road with

large trucks can make you feel 

very uncomfortable.

Protect yourself and your passengers

by learning how to share the road

safely with large vehicles.

Large trucks do not operate like cars.

They are so large that accelerating,

slowing down, or stopping takes more

time and much more space than any

other vehicle on the road. They have

large blind spots and make wide turns.

They are not as maneuverable. If they

come upon an unexpected traffic 

situation, there may not be enough

room for them to avoid a collision. 

Research reveals that passenger car

drivers made mistakes in 70 percent of

the fatal crashes involving large trucks.

While everyone is entitled to make a

mistake, colliding with a truck could 

be your last one. 

The information that follows will help

you anticipate a truck’s actions and

avoid collisions with them. 

YOU are your best protection on the

highway.

Doyourpart

tobesafe. 

400 7th Street, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20590

www.sharetheroadsafely.org

www.fmcsa.dot.gov

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration (FMCSA), in partnership

with the trucking industry and highway

safety organizations, is working to make

our roads safer for everyone. Its goal 

is to achieve a 50 percent reduction in 

truck-related fatalities by 2010. Your 

commitment to Share the Road Safely 

will help us achieve this objective.

DOT-MC-01-089
Buckling your seatbelt is the single

most important thing

you can do to save your life in a crash. 

A seatbelt will keep you in your seat and help

you maintain control of your vehicle. The safest

place for kids is in the backseat, buckled up or

in a car seat. So, be safe and always buckle up!

Large trucks are almost as wide as

your lane of travel. Driving too close

behind one prevents you from reacting

to changing traffic conditions. 

If you are too close to the rear of a truck and there is 

a slow down on the highway, debris in the road, or an 

accident, you won’t notice it until it is a braking

emergency. If there is a problem ahead, your first

hint will be the truck’s brake lights. But if you

happen to be distracted or fatigued, you may not

be able to react in time. If you hit the rear 

of a truck you’ll quickly learn that trucks are 

unforgiving. There are no impact-absorbing

bumpers and the metal bumpers they do

have may not align with yours. So be

smart and give yourself plenty of room.

Nearly 2,000 people die 

each year in highway shoulder 

collisions. They are some of the

worst accidents, usually caused

by other drivers on the highway. 

If you break down or pull over

on the highway shoulder, it is

important to understand the

position you and your 

passengers are in. When a parked vehicle on a highway

shoulder is struck by a moving car, the damage suffered

by the parked car is severe. When the moving vehicle is

a truck, weighing as much as 25 cars, the result is tragic. 

Avoid highway shoulders whenever possible. Try to exit

from the highway, even if it costs you a tire or rim. If 

you cannot exit, consider whether you are safer inside or

away from the vehicle. Your decision could save your life. 

Watch out for the blind spots,

or the No-Zone, around large

trucks and buses.

Because of a truck’s size,

truck drivers must react

faster than car drivers

in emergency situations. If faced

with a potential front-end collision,

the truck driver may turn into your

lane not knowing you are there.

Truck drivers have huge blind spots

around the front, back and sides of

the truck. So be safe and don’t hang 

out in the No-Zone.

If you move into that space and have to brake suddenly,

you cut the truck’s available stopping distance in half–

placing you and your passengers in danger. Anticipate

the flow of traffic before pulling in front of trucks.

More than 60 percent of fatal truck crashes involve

impacts with the front of the truck. Trucks are not

equipped with the same type of energy-absorbing

bumpers as cars. When a car is hit from behind by 

a truck the results are too often deadly.

Trucks leave extra room behind

the vehicles they follow

because it can take them

twice as long to stop. 

5 Ways to Share the Road Safely

with Trucks.

Don’t Cut

In Front

of Trucks.

Avoid

Tailgating.

Stay Out 

of the 

“No-Zone”.

Wear Your

Seatbelt.

Beware of

Highway

Shoulders.