Big Rig Blues

The television movie "Duel" began Steven Spielberg's directorial career and forever changed the way drivers view big rigs. Separating fact from fiction, however, casts a much less demonic aura over those mastodons of the highway. In fact, without the big rigs and their cargo, 82 percent of the country's communities would be without groceries and other goods.

Fault Line
Another interesting fact, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study, 75 percent of all truck-related car fatalities are car-initiated. In other words, when there's an accident between a big rig and a passenger car, don't immediately point the finger of blame at the truck or its driver. The logical conclusion is that most of us simply don't know how to behave around big rigs, nor do we understand the limitations of trucks compared to our nimble little cars.


The most valuable guideline when sharing the highway with semis is the same guideline you should observe even if the road is empty. Pay attention and keep your eyes on the road. Unfortunately, this, the easiest rule to follow, is the one most ignored.

Blind Spots
Most passenger vehicles have blind spots; trucks have four and it's important to avoid them. A big rig driver cannot see approximately 15 to 20 feet immediately in front of the cab, which should discourage you from merging into the middle of a long line of semis on the highway, especially if you've got a small sports car.


The most dangerous blind spots are to the left and right of the truck starting just beyond the cab and fanning across three lanes of traffic, and running the length of the truck. The left, or driver's side, blind spot is less pervasive than the right side.