Play nice near big rigs

Why people blindly put their lives in the hands of others is a complete mystery to me.

They're angered because they can't pass a highway transport truck, so they try it anyway at the worst possible time. They become angry because a big rig is driving too slowly, so they tailgate. And when they do get in a position to pass, they just sit there in the trucker's blind spot like they own the whole road. Whether they know it, they're only one turn of the wheel away from a situation that could spell disaster. And when you're dead, does it really matter who was to blame or who had the right of way?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound -- or tens of thousands of pounds in this case -- of cure. So, with spring, summer and increased traffic congestion on the way, it's a good time for a refresher course on sharing the road with a big rig. Share? Novel concept, I know.

It's not enough just to preach, so I decided to take the bull by the horns.

I hooked up with a fellow named "Big-Boy" Bernie for what he promised would be a hair-raiser of a ride in his big rig.

"I take a chance every time I get in," says the 36-year-old driver, removing his baseball cap and scratching his head with fingernails chewed down to the skin. "I've been lucky so far -- knock on wood -- but every time I take a job, in the back of my mind, I think it could be my last."

He's not being dramatic.

According to the John Deere Insurance Group, the top three types of crashes involving heavy trucks are crashes caused by the truck's inability to stop in time; crashes caused by another vehicle trying to pass a truck on the right while the truck is making a right-hand turn; and crashes caused by a driver riding in the trucker's blind spots. Use the following rule of thumb: If you cannot see the truck driver in his mirrors, he probably cannot see you.

With those stats in mind, I climbed into Biggie's truck for a "short leg" to see the view through a trucker's eyes.

Two hours into our haul, more than a dozen vehicles cut us off, four tailgated and a van load of young men hung in the left lane, coaxing Bernie to blast the horn. (Nice try, fellas, but this guy doesn't touch his horn for just anyone ... trust me, I tried.)

"This is nothing. I have had more close calls than I can count," he said.

So, how do we prevent those close encounters of the hair-raising kind? Bernie has some suggestions:

* Refrain from riding in a trucker's blind spots, specifically on the right and rear of the truck.

"If we can't see you, we can't avoid you," Bernie said.

* Don't catch up with the truck just to loiter next to it in the passing lane. If you're planning to pass, do so quickly and safely.

* Be patient when a tractor-trailer is trying to back up. From the driver's seat, directing a trailer into a tight spot is something akin to threading an elephant through an outhouse door.

"It takes a lot of concentration and patience to back one of these babies in," Bernie said. "It's not easy and sometimes it takes more than one go to get her in."

* If you see the turn signal blinking on a big rig, allow the trucker to turn or change lanes, don't duck in beside it. Flash your lights to let the driver know that you're going to give him/her space.

* Don't cut off a truck. More often than not, Bernie says, drivers veer back into the lane with little or no wiggle room between them and tons of speeding cargo.

"You're playing with your life cutting one of us off," he says. "A buddy of mine killed two people like that -- just crushed the car like this can of Pepsi. He just couldn't stop. He doesn't drive anymore."

Some days it makes Bernie wonder why he still does.

Rhonda Wheeler is a journalist with Wheelbase Communications, a worldwide supplier of automotive news, features and reviews. You can e-mail her by logging on to www.wheelbase.ws/mailbag.html.