Co-Existing on the Road with Semi-Trucks

No place with Safe Roads?

If you come to almost any place on Earth (or, more locally, to almost any place here in East Texas), people would probably tell you a lot about the fact that roads have become more dangerous in the past decade or even in the past few years. The number of cars is constantly increasing, the road surface cannot withstand the excessive pressure from 18-wheeler semi trucks, the police do not have adequate resources to control traffic and pursue violators, and of course, the drivers are allegedly much less careful and friendly than they used to be. Whether any of this is actually true is usually hard to tell, but one thing is becoming more and more clear throughout the United States and here in Texas – huge semi-trucks are not about to go away and we have to learn to live and stay alive next to them.

Something to Underline

One important point to understand and remember is that while semi-truck drivers have the same basic rights and responsibilities on the road as other people, the overall weight of their responsibility is much higher. To illustrate this with an example: in a traffic accident involving an 18-wheeler and a medium passenger sedan, both inherently have the same rights and obligations under the law, but a careless lane change or rushed turn by the truck driver will lead to more serious consequences in most situations than if the car did the same maneuver. In a situation where a pedestrian and a semi-truck have to co-exist in an intersection, a thoughtless move by the individual  starting to cross the street will not have the same destructive potential as a truck driver failing to observe the rules of the road and drive with due caution in the intersection.

How to Co-Exist

When thinking about 18-wheeler truck drivers, we all hope that they have received adequate safety training to be able to predict and avoid dangerous situations on the road. As the personal experience of most people would demonstrate, the training provided to the truck drivers can often be grossly inadequate. As a result, people get hurt and property gets damaged and destroyed in mere moments. This is why the majority of traffic participants, i.e. the sedan drivers, the cyclists, the bikers, and the pedestrians, have to pay special attention when sharing the road with these large trucks that have become so important to our economy. Common sense and adherence to the law should work hand-in-hand to increase safety levels and get people from point A to point B without problems.

Should Problems Arise

Of course, no matter how careful you may be, it is not always in your power to prevent and escape from dangerous situations. Collisions involving semis can be extremely violent and graphic, and the consequences can be fatal. Should you or anyone you know be a victim of such a collision, be sure to contact our 18-wheeler semi truck accident lawyers as soon as possible. Our staff is particularly knowledgeable about the ways that you can safeguard your legal rights and obtain adequate care and attention.