Driving heavy vehicles is different from driving regular cars, especially when it comes to heavy vehicles for commercial usage. Loaded trucks or huge buses can be hard to control and manuoever. A minor miscalculation or misjudgment can have dire consequences, not just for that vehicle but also for the cars around it. It is why drivers of light vehicles are advised to take extra caution when driving around heavy vehicles as not all accidents are the fault of heavy vehicle drivers.
Tips for Driving Around Heavy Vehicle
For your own safety, consider these tips when driving a car around trucks or buses. Even with strict traffic laws in Dubai, accidents can occur from an error on both sides.
Maintain Steady Distance
Heavy vehicles are often tailgated as they move slowly at a constant pace. The problem arises when you are tailgating too closely. In case of an emergency brake, a car bumping into a truck can lead to loss of life.
Maintaining a safe following distance while tailgating should not just be limited to heavy vehicles, but one should keep a safe distance with all the vehicles. Adjust your distance according to the vehicle speed so you have ample time to apply brakes safely.
Avoid Overtaking on Curved Roads
Overtaking on curved roads or on a bend is already dangerous and a minor mishandling of the steering wheel can cause an accident. The vision of light vehicle drivers is usually blocked when driving around trucks and it’s not easy to find the right opening while commuting on a curved road.
You can easily collide with a vehicle coming from the other side or get into an on-road obstruction. Extra caution is needed on single lane roads to avoid such hidden hazards. If you do plan to overtake while driving close to heavy vehicles on a straight road, be sure to alert the driver with the help of a horn or high beam signals.
Offer Clearance for Turning
Long heavy vehicles like prime movers will always require leeway or clearance space to make a turn. You should pay close attention at turns as accidents often happen when vehicles try to bypass trucks from the turning side.
Due to blind spots, squeezing your way through is dangerous as truck drivers cannot see the rear end properly. A good practice would be to slow down and wait out till the truck has turned completely.
Maintain Lane Discipline
Although the tip applies to all vehicle types, lane discipline becomes more important when driving a car near trucks. If you plan to change your lanes while driving or come in front of a moving truck, it is imperative to maintain your speed. Trucks take more time to slow down and if you shift lanes hastily that forces you to make an emergency brake, a collision is likely to happen.
Night Time Precautions
When driving at night time especially along the highways, you will probably encounter a lot of heavy vehicle traffic on the road. High headlight beams from cars on a truck’s rear view mirrors can create more opportunities for blind spots. On the other hand, an upcoming car can basically blind the passing vehicles.
This may result in poor judgement calls from truck drivers who won’t be able to assess the situation clearly. In fact, improper use of high beams in the UAE during bad weather conditions can lead to hefty fines and black points.
Watch Out for Blind Spots
The car’s blind spots are the areas not visible through the rearview mirrors or windows and every vehicle has them. The obstructed view is larger in heavy vehicles which are taller and longer. Hence, trucks and buses have a more difficult time manoeuvring safely.
For instance, considering all four blind spots around a heavy truck, the front blind spot is wide enough to even overlook a small car due to the protruding hood and height of the vehicle. As for the sides, the driver is dependent on the vision of the rearview mirrors.
The rear blind spot is problematic especially for trucks with trailers as there is no way to see through. Therefore, light vehicles need to be careful when trucks with trailers are reversing.
The buses have smaller blind spots due to the flat front. However, it is the side and the rear you should be careful about as they have larger blind spot areas.
If driving near a heavy vehicle makes you uncomfortable, you are better off depending on cars with added safety features like blind-spot monitoring, lane departure assist and auto braking system. Checkout used cars for sale in the UAE to explore your options with cutting edge safety features.
Most of the above tips can relate to vehicles in all categories. The length and height of trucks and buses along with window pillars can create wide blind spot areas. Hence, you should keep that in mind when trying to overtake or driving alongside a heavy vehicle.
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