Rhode Island driving lesson · Sharing the Road Safely
Sharing the Road with Large Trucks
A 3-minute lesson from the Rhode Island course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Big trucks can't stop, turn or see like cars. Their blind spots are huge, and a crash with one is rarely a fair fight. Stay out of their 'no zones', don't tailgate, and give them room to turn.
4 times
NHTSA: big trucks are this much more likely than other vehicles to get into collisions
Truck no zones, and giving a truck room for a wide right turn
Know the rule
Don't cruise beside a truck's right side. If you end up there, pull ahead or fall back quickly, and grip the wheel firmly—airflow between the vehicles can pull them together.
Never tailgate a truck. Stay at least 50 feet back if you expect the driver to see you; you're far enough back when you can see the truck's side-view mirrors.
Semi-trailers make wide turns, especially in urban areas. Larger vehicles need more space to turn—give it to them, and watch the lights and markings on large vehicles.
A tractor-trailer ahead signals right and swings left to start its turn. Don't squeeze into the gap on its right. Stay back where you can see its mirrors and let it complete the turn.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
According to NHTSA, how much more likely are big trucks to be involved in collisions than passenger vehicles?
2 times more likely
10 times more likely
4 times more likely
Trucks are less likely to be involved
Answer: 4 times more likely
NHTSA warns that big trucks are four times more likely than vehicles to get into collisions.
