FMCSA Shows Drivers How to Share the Road with Trucks
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has launched Our Roads, Our Responsibility, a safety-focused campaign to raise public awareness about how to operate safely around large commercial vehicles.
The campaign will explain how to operate around large trucks and buses, which have significant size and weight differences, blind spots, long stopping distances and limited maneuverability. With nearly 12 million commercial vehicles registered in the U.S. driving more around 300 billion miles, FMCSA aims to educate passenger vehicle drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
A website, ShareTheRoadSafely.gov, offers visitors access to public service announcements, infographics, tips and fact sheets, a PDF with suggested social media content, and more.
Under the Our Roads, Our Responsibility campaign, FMCSA suggests the following tips while sharing the road with CMVs:
- Stay out of the “no zones” or blind spots around the front, back and sides of the vehicle
- Pass safely and make sure you can see the driver in the mirror before passing
- Don’t cut it close while merging in front of a CMV
- Anticipate wide turns and consider larger vehicles may require extra turning room
- Stay focused on the road around you and avoid distraction
- Be patient driving around large trucks and buses
“Our Roads, Our Responsibility supports our agency’s core mission of reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles on our roadways,” said Scott Darling, FMCSA administrator. “Roadway safety is a shared responsibility, and this initiative encourages everyone who uses our roads to be champions for safety. We look forward to working with all our partners to raise awareness around this issue.”
Related: FMCSA Proposes Taking Closer Look at Non-Preventable Crashes
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