Five (5) Tips to Prevent Rear-End Crashes in Trucking

One of the most common accidents that truck drivers face is a rear-end crash. After all, rear-end crashes account for about one-third of all accidents.

Let’s face it, an accident behind the wheel of your truck can hugely impact your career and future prospects, even a minor fender bender. To have the best opportunities in trucking, you’ll need to have a squeaky-clean driving record.

The good news is, many rear-end accidents can be avoided with a little bit of prevention. If you’d like to know five great tips for preventing rear-end crashes, then continue reading below.

5. Stay Focused

One of the leading causes of all types of crashes is due to distracted driving. Spacing out, looking at a text message, fumbling with the radio—these are all things that can keep you from watching the road.

By the time you realize that you’re about to be in a rear-end collision, it may already be too late. That means you’ll want to stay focused the entire time your truck is in motion.

4. Be Aware of Your Surroundings

Watching your surroundings is key to safe driving. It’s also key to having options when something goes wrong in front of you.

That means you’ll want to check your mirrors frequently and keep an eye on what’s around you. If an accident happens in front of you, you might be able to swerve out of the way instead of slamming on the brakes.

However, that only works if you know the area around you is clear by staying vigilant.

3. Remember the Three and Four-Second Rule

At all times when you’re driving, you will want to maintain a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. However, sometimes cars seem further forward than they really are, sometimes due to bad judgment.

That’s why it’s handy to remember the three-second rule, which helps you accurately judge the distance of a car from you. Find an object on the side of the road like a sign or a tree and once the car in front of you passes it, start counting.

If you can count to three before passing that same object, then you’re at a safe distance. If not, then you’ll want to slow down.

The four-second rule is the same, but it applies to less-than-ideal driving conditions. If it’s raining, foggy, or nighttime, then you’ll want to use the four-second rule.

2. Watch for Tailgaters

Sometimes truckers are the ones who can get rear-ended by people who are following too closely. Since trucks drive slower on average, many drivers end up anxiously tailgating.

That’s why you’ll want to shake tailgaters as soon as you can. That means you might want to increase speed or try to switch lanes safely.

1. Drive Predictably

Last but not least, you’ll want to be predictable to the drivers around you. Although you’re driving a large vehicle, other drivers may not know your intentions.

That’s why it’s good practice never to brake suddenly and use your turn signals often. The more predictable you are, the less likely someone will rear-end your truck.