When a big rig truck crashes with a passenger car, the laws of physics determine the outcome, and most often, the passenger car bears the brunt of the damage, according to the Insurance Information Network of California (IINC).

In a release, IINC noted that the Insurance Information Network of California, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the California Trucking Association (CTA) have joined forces to focus attention on truck and passenger vehicle driver safety this Memorial Day weekend.

In a demonstration held recently on a Van Nuys thoroughfare, professional drivers highlighted the dangers of driving too close to big rigs. CHP officers reinforced the need for passenger car drivers to understand how to safely share the road with big trucks when traveling over the holiday weekend.

Trucks often weigh 20-to-30 times more than passenger cars and have a harder time maneuvering around an emergency situation. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that 4,008 people died in truck collisions in 2008. Of these deaths, 15 percent were truck occupants and 69 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles. The California Highway Patrol estimates that more than half of the 7,262 collisions involving big rigs in 2008 were caused by passenger vehicle drivers.

“Motorists need to know that sharing the road with big rigs requires patience and recognition of a truck’s blind spots,” said Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California. “Truckers in California maintain the highest standards of safety and need the help of passenger drivers to keep the roads safe,” added CTA President Denny Wyatt.

“The number of trucks using the California highway system will inevitably increase over the coming years,” said CHP Captain Tommi Tyler. “For that reason, the CHP is working to create public awareness about driving around commercial trucks; and thus, minimizing truck-involved collisions and fatalities.”

The CHP urges motorists to understand these basics of sharing the road with big rigs this Memorial Day Weekend:

-Allow plenty of room when changing lanes in front of a truck.

-Pass trucks quickly and don’t linger beside a truck.

-Pass a truck on the left, not on the right, because the truck’s blind spot on the right runs the length of the trailer and extends out three lanes.

-Allow a lot of room around trucks. Try to leave a 10-car length gap when in front of a truck and 20-25 car lengths when behind a truck.

-Check a truck’s mirrors. If you are following a truck and you cannot see the driver’s face in the truck’s side mirrors, the truck driver cannot see you.

-Allow trucks adequate space to maneuver. Trucks make wide turns at intersections and require additional lanes to turn.

IINC is a nonprofit, non-lobbying communications association representing the property/casualty insurance industry.

The CTA serves the businesses that operate trucks providing goods and services to California.

More information:

www.iinc.org

www.caltrux.com

www.chp.ca.gov

www.lapdonline.org