Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Truckers caution public to drive safe

Ruben Armendariz hopes the people who climb into the cab of his truck will see what he sees: a road full of drivers who don't seem all that concerned about self-preservation.

"I think it's just that people don't understand what it's like being in that truck, and what it means to share the road safely," said Armendariz, 56, who has logged more than 2 million miles without an accident.

Armendariz and four other drivers from Albuquerque shared tips last week as part of the Share the Road campaign, a national program to teach drivers to be safe around semi-trailers.

In a stop at Balloon Fiesta Park, they let car and pickup drivers jump into the cab of a semi to see the dangerous things cars do.

Ralph Garcia, 48, a trucker for ABF Freight Systems and an Albuquerque native, said car drivers might not understand that truckers don't see them.

"You wouldn't think there would be a blind spot here," he said, pointing to the left-side mirrors. "Spot mirrors help, but sometimes you can't see that blind spot on the driver's side.

Then he leaned over to show a compact car, just 10 feet away.

It's important for drivers to pass on the left and drive quickly, because the blind spot on the left is smaller, Garcia said.

Some other tips for car drivers:

If you can't see a truck's mirrors, the driver can't see you.

If a trucker's mirrors and reflections are visible, they know a driver is there.

Leave plenty of following distance.

A good following distance is 20-25 car lengths.

Never cut off a truck. They outweigh you and can't stop quickly.

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