The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is actively promoting safe practices for sharing the road with heavy-duty and large trucks. Truck drivers are skilled professionals who have learned specific strategies to keep themselves and others safe while they drive.
Passenger vehicles, however, have not received this same level of training or skillset. FMCSA’s Our Roads, Our Safety Week is part of the measure to help combat that and make the roads safer for professional drivers. This week, committed to driver safety, started on Sunday, May 5, and extends through Saturday, May 11, consistently emphasizing education on safely navigating around semi trucks and other large vehicles.
“Our Roads, Our Safety Week is a national, annual safety observance dedicated to raising awareness on how to share the road safely with large trucks and buses,” FMCSA wrote. “Together with the larger safety community, FMCSA is committed to sharing safety tips, resources, and materials that help improve road safety and reach zero roadway deaths.”
In 2022, nearly 6,000 fatalities resulted from accidents involving large trucks. It’s important to note that truck drivers are not frequently cited or found at fault in these tragic incidents. FMCSA’s data from 2021 indicated that over 90% of truckers involved in fatal crashes did not receive moving violations.
Furthermore, a 2017 report by the Ohio Department of Transportation revealed that truckers were not at fault in 75% of fatal crashes. In-depth studies from the University of Michigan, NHTSA, AAA, and FMCSA have consistently shown that passenger vehicle drivers were significantly more often assigned driving factors in fatal crashes involving large trucks than truck drivers due to a lack of understanding of the specific safety measures that need to be taken around semis.
“Large trucks and buses maneuver differently than other vehicles, and it’s critical we know how to operate around them safely,” FMCSA wrote.
Our Roads, Our Safety Week is critical in educating passenger vehicles on these measures and preventing further accidents.
“Everyone on the road has a role to play,” said Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation. “Let’s take this week to remind ourselves and our loved ones that large trucks and buses have huge blind spots, make wide turns, and take longer to stop than passenger vehicles. We all share the road. Let’s renew our commitment to do it safely.”
Source: Land Line
