Frederick County Highway Safety Task Force

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	[Facts] [FAQS] [Comparison] [Tips] [Stopping Distances] [Related Sites] No-Zone Facts: The No-Zone represents danger areas around trucks where crashes are most likely to occur. Passing a truck, cutting in too quickly, then abruptly slowing down, puts you in the no-zone. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have shown that at 55 miles per hour the cab of a tractor-trailer can take 26% more distance to stop than a passenger car (243 feet versus 193 feet), while a fully-loaded tractor-trailer can take 222% more distance to stop than a passenger car (430 feet versus 193 feet). Passing behind a truck that is about to back up or is backing up, puts you in the no-zone. Tailgating in the deep blindspot directly behind a truck puts you in the no-zone. Large trucks have a blind spot directly in back that extends up to 200 feet behind the vehicle. Driving in the large blindspots on both sides of trucks for any length of time puts you in the no-zone. Trucks have a blind spot on their sides starting behind the cab and extending between 20 and 40 feet back. Driving in the blindspots behind or on the right side of trucks when they are making wide and/or right turns puts you in the no-zone. Trucks have a larger blind spot on their right side starting behind the cab and extending up to the length of the truck; this blind spot increases in size the further off to the side you are from the truck.
	Did You Know...
	According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): More than 200,000 crashes involving at least one car and one large truck happen each year. Between 60% and 72% of crashes, which involve at least one fatality, are caused by the car, not the truck. Most crashes involving passenger cars and trucks occur in daylight on straight, dry pavement and good weather conditions. Because trucks are so much bigger and heavier than cars, when a fatal collision occurs between the two, 80% of the time it is the driver of the car who is killed.
	Comparison between cars and trucks:
	It is more difficult to drive a truck than a car. Even though a truck driver sits much higher off the ground than a passenger car driver, truck drivers have more blind spots to deal with. Trucks are less maneuverable than cars; they have longer stopping and accelerating distances, wider turning radii, and weigh much more. Trucks frequently stay in the middle lane of a multi-lane highway to help the flow of local traffic on and off the highway, and to increase the driver's options if he or she must switch lanes to avoid a dangerous situation or accident. Because of their size, large tractor-trailers often appear to be traveling slower than they actually are. Do not underestimate a truck's size, speed and distance, especially on highways and at intersections.
	Advice for Improving Road Sharing Skills:
	Don't cut off a truck in traffic or on the highway to reach your exit or turn, or to beat a truck into a single-lane construction zone. The few seconds you might save are not worth your life or the life of your passengers. Don't linger alongside a truck when passing. Remember that trucks have larger blind spots; always pass a large truck completely, at a steady pace, and on the left side. Also, if you linger along side of a truck, even if you are not in one of the truck's blind spots, you limit the truck's maneuverability if an obstacle appears in the road ahead. Don't follow too closely or tailgate. Most tractor-trailers are 8 1/2 feet wide, and if you are within 200 feet of the back of a truck, some or all of your car will not be visible to the truck driver. Use this rule of thumb: *If you can't see the truck driver in his side mirrors, he can't see you*. Tractor-trailers need to make wide right turns. If it looks like the truck ahead is turning left, do not rush ahead on the right side of the truck, because the truck might be making a right turn instead.
	Stopping Distances:
	Average Total Stopping Distance At 55 MPH
	Vehicle	Stopping Distance
	Passenger Car	193 feet
	Tractor-Trailer, cab only	243 feet
	Tractor-Trailer, empty	249 feet
	Tractor-Trailer, loaded, with cool brakes	256 feet
	Tractor-Trailer, loaded, with hot brakes	430 feet

	Related Sites to No-Zone:
	Coalition Against Bigger Trucks Don't Hang Out In The No-Zone Federal Highway Safety Administration Also see their brochure entitled Don't Hang Out in the No-Zone, publication number FHWA-MC-96-017, HPS-10/R6-96 (50M) EW. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety John Deere Transportation Insurance Also see their public service brochure entitled What Motorists Need To Know About Trucks. Safety Record of Heavy Trucks and Older Drivers - A 5-year analysis [Facts] [FAQS] [Comparison] [Tips] [Stopping Distances] [Related Sites] Frederick County Highway Safety Task Force.