A Lane Changing Experience

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are approximately 630,000 lane change/merge crashes in the United States each year. Many of these are very serious resulting in 225 fatalities annually. Lane change accidents are extremely costly to insurers averaging well over $100,000 per incident. Interesting is the fact that 90% of lane change accidents occur during daylight hours.

We, here at Daily Underwriters of America, know that truckers are not out there deliberately crashing into other vehicles (not our insured’s, anyway). But here are the causes of lane change crashes as recorded by police:

“Looked, but did not see”

“Looked, saw, but thought I had room/time”

“Other driver did something unexpected”

As a professional driver, we have to take the extra effort to be CERTAIN the lane is clear before we move….and always expect the other driver to do something unexpected!

We all know about the truckers “ blind spot” and “no zone “ , and we also know these four wheelers pay little attention to it. Especially these smaller cars….and let’s face it folks…with gas prices what they are; the cars on the road are going to get smaller and smaller.

So what can you do?

• Deep breath…and be more patient. The American Trucking Association reports that for every lane change that a trucker makes it increases the risk of an accident by 40%. When you encounter heavy traffic situations, back her down and stay in your lane.
• Checking the mirrors is not good enough anymore. You need to “Lean and Look”. Lean forward and back, even rise up out of your seat to make sure you are viewing the entire mirror and making certain that the lane is clear.
• Make all lane changes slowly and smoothly. Signal your intentions and be cautious as you make the move.
• Don’t forget about the vehicle in front of you! I know, I know… you need eyes in the front, sides and the back of your head. Hey, we know that you have a tough job out there, but remember only YOU have control over the situations you face.

This is nothing new to you or your drivers, but it never hurts to take a minute to refresh ourselves with safe operating practices.