Colonel Anna Amos,
Deputy Director        

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety is teaming up with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the South Carolina Trucking Association to encourage the public and truckers to learn to "Share the Road." The agencies released a public service announcement March 28 highlighting the fact that the majority of collisions involving tractor-trailer trucks are the other driver’s fault. The "Share the Road" campaign also will involve radio PSAs and outdoor advertising in the coming months.

Share the Road Video

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Motorists can help truck drivers share the road with them by following these tips:

Don’t cut in front. A truck needs twice as much distance to stop as a car and can’t do so if you cut him off suddenly in traffic. Trucks often leave themselves a cushion to allow space to stop. That space is not an invitation to cut in. Doing so only diminishes the truck driver’s cushion of safety. Give trucks plenty of room.

Don’t linger. Trucks have blind spots: when you linger beside one, the truck driver may not know you’re there. Blind spots are all around the vehicle. Try to avoid driving on the left side between the cab and trailer, on the right beside the cab, on the right between the cab and the trailer.

Don’t tailgate. If you are behind a truck and you can’t see the truck’s mirrors, then you’re too close. The truck driver can’t see you.

Use care when merging on interstates and freeways. Professional drivers state that many times other vehicle drivers fail to yield when they are entering an interstate or freeway from a entrance ramp. Many times the truck driver cannot move over to another highway lane because of existing traffic.

Watch out for large trucks’ wide right turns. Big rigs have to swing to the left before turning right. Don’t pull forward if a truck has its right turn signal on but begins to move left.

To find out more about how to safely share the road, please visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s "Share the Road Safely" web site.