As a motorcyclist, you may often face dangers while riding in the rain or on busy roads. When a large truck drives up alongside you, you may also feel nervous if the driver begins to swerve or ignore traffic rules.
Learning about the ways that truckers can influence these accidents can help you if you are in a crash.
Unexpected appearances
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, truckers may not expect to see motorcycles come up behind them or near them while out on most roads. The smaller size and different way of handling can lead to motorcycles being less visible than most cars, which means that truckers could easily miss them if they do not look out specifically for them.
Differing speeds and distances
Trucks can reach higher speeds than motorcycles, but they also take longer to come to a complete stop if they see an obstacle in the road ahead of them. This means that truckers may not stop in time to avoid an accident if something distracts them.
Someone sitting higher up in the seat of a truck may also make the wrong assumption about the speed of a motorcycle coming toward them or turning. They may assume that the motorcycle is going slower or needs less room to turn than it actually does.
Blind spots
Truckers have blind spots which they must check to prevent accidents, such as looking in a mirror or leaning out a window. Since motorcycles are easier to miss than larger vehicles, there is a greater risk of a trucker making a sudden turn or coming to a stop without accounting for a motorcycle near them.
Being aware of the ways that trucks can crash into motorcycles and cause collisions is important if you are in an accident.