In today’s video, Attorney Ben Schwartz gives drivers tips on the stopping distance of tractor-trailers. This is part 1 of 3 videos in the Tractor-Trailer Driving Safety Video Series.

Hi, I am Attorney Ben Schwartz, 

Today we are going to start a series on tractor-trailer safety and tractor-trailer accidents. You know I am an attorney, and a lot of the personal injury and wrongful death cases that I handle involve tractor-trailer or big truck accidents. Some clients of mine happened to be CDL license holders and truck drivers, and they have suggested this to me. ‘Ben, why don’t you do some videos on when you are driving a car and you are out on the highway and there are tractor-trailers… How can you drive more safely in order to avoid tractor-trailers accidents?’

So I thought about it and there are some tips that I think that people could keep in mind when they are driving. These tips might save a life or save someone from having a tractor-trailer accident. I think it could be really good if everyone keeps these tips in mind. 

The first thing I want to talk about is the stopping distance of tractor-trailers. Now as you are watching this video that might not seem like such an interesting topic but out on the roadway when a tractor-trailer has to stop when a tractor-trailer is coming up to a red light or coming up to a yield sign or some hazard, the tractor-trailer if it is carrying a load, needs a greater stopping distance than a regular passenger vehicle. 

What I see and what people tell me they see all the time is, that people are driving in their cars and they will dart in front of a tractor-trailer as the vehicles are slowing down to go to a stop sign or as the vehicles are slowing down for a red light. That is extremely dangerous because if that tractor-trailer needs more space than you are allowing it, in order to stop, it could rear-end you and push you out into an intersection where an oncoming vehicle could crush you or crush your car.

So, today’s tip is if you are out on the roadway, and you are near a tractor-trailer do not cut in front of the tractor-trailer because if you have to stop that tractor-trailer behind you may not be able to. This not only applies to tractor-trailers.

Some other situations that we see in the office and out on the road are trucks that are towing horses, trucks that are towing live animals, a pickup truck that has a horse trailer is never going to stop anywhere near as fast as a regular passenger automobile. The driver of the truck towing horses is probably going to prefer to rear-end you than to slam on the brakes and injure the horses that he has got on his trailer, especially if they are million-dollar racehorses.  

So be careful out on the road. Keep this in mind, if you are driving near a tractor-trailer, never go in front of it and slow down. You always want to if you have to get over in that lane, pull over behind it instead. 

I am attorney Ben Schwartz, please share this tip on the internet. Hopefully, it can save you or save a friend or family member. If you have questions for me, if you have a topic that you think would make a good safety video, please email me.