We got hold of a couple of informative bulletins written with the everyday rider in mind.One is a short quiz testing your knowledge of on-the-road truck awareness and the other is a set of safety guidelines for motorists, compiled by the American Trucking Associations (who had a small demonstration at Americade this year).

Check out the helpful (if somewhat overlapping) information in the following releases:

Many drivers are often confused about how to safely share the road with trucks. 70 to 75 percent of all truck-related auto fatalities are caused by car drivers, according to AAA and the Department of Transportation. Safe highway merging and stopping distances are essential for highway driving. To quiz your knowledge on truck safety, consider the following questions.

Where is the largest blind spot on a large truck?
The right side of the truck. If possible, avoid passing a truck on the right side.

True or False: Big trucks have more tires and larger brakes so they can stop faster than smaller vehicles.
False. It takes a loaded truck traveling 60 mph the length of a football field to come to a stop.

How many lives could be saved by staying out of trucks' blind spots?
Approximately 1,300 lives per year in the United States are lost in crashes where vehicles are in a truck's blind spot. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 35 percent of all fatal accidents with large trucks occur in blind spots.
What is a safe traveling distance for a car when following a truck on the highway?:Stay 20 car lengths behind the truck so you have time to react to any changes in the road ahead including debris or accidents. Keep the trucks' mirrors in your sight at all times.

Never cut in front of a truck - Fully loaded trucks weigh up to 80,000 pounds and take the length of a football field to stop. Most cars weigh only 3,000 pounds.

Don't linger alongside a truck - There are large blind spots around trucks where cars momentarily "disappear" from view and the truck driver can't see you.

Pass trucks quickly - To make themselves visible cars should not linger near trucks, and should move past them or slow down to back off, out of the blind spot.

Changing lanes - Change lanes when you can see both of the truck's headlights in your rearview mirror.

If possible, pass a truck on the left, not on the right - A truck's blind spot on the right runs the length of the trailer and extends out 3 lanes. Motorists should try to avoid passing through this large blind spot.

Keep a safety cushion around trucks - Try to leave a 10-car length safety cushion in front of a truck and stay back 20-25 car lengths. Following a truck too closely obscures your view.

Check the truck's mirrors - If you're following a truck and you can't see the driver's face in the truck's side mirrors, the truck driver can't see you.

Allow trucks adequate space to maneuver - Trucks make wide turns at intersections and require additional lanes to turn, so motorists should allow a truck the space it needs to maneuver.

ATA Blind Spot Illustration
Shaded areas represent "blind spots" or areas where a car disappears from a truck driver's view

For additional information about Share the Road, please contact ATA at 703-838-1836

For more information, visit the American Trucking Associaton's website at: http://www.truckline.com