City of St. George, Utah :: Don't hang out in the No-Zones

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175 East 200 North

St. George, UT 84770

(435) 627-4000

March 21, 2010

Police Department 200 East 265 North St. George, UT 84770 (435) 634-5000
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Don't hang out in the "No-Zones"

I was on I-15 recently and saw a situation that I cringed at: a car pulled around a semi truck and pulled right in front of it and then slowed down. The trucker hit the airhorn. I thought back to a crash that I responded on several years ago on Bluff Street. An SUV had passed a large semi-truck trailer combination that was heavily loaded with hay. The SUV then changed lanes into the outside lane against the curb and hit the brakes to turn into the next parking lot. Can you anticipate what happened? Of course the truck was unable to stop and hit the SUV causing the rear end to compact up into the back seat. The driver of the SUV was cited for unsafe lane travel. We had to cut the back of the vehicle out to free the kids.

There are many types of crashes associated with large vehicles such as semi-truck trailer combinations, buses and large RV's. These happen more than we realize, I think, mainly from not thinking about the possible consequences. There are areas around these large vehicles that we should not hang out in. That is, if we find ourselves in these areas, we should quickly make plans to get out of them or move through them. These areas are in front, at the rear and to the sides of these large vehicles. We have to be in the areas to the sides momentarily as we pass or are overtaken, but we can avoid the areas immediately in back of or in front of large profile vehicles. We need to minimize our exposure to the dangers that these areas present.

If you find yourself being overtaken by a large vehicle that seems to be taking a long time to get around you, slow down until you can see the driver in the side mirror. This is a dangerous spot as the driver may try and make a lane change when it's not clear to do so. It would be good to flash your lights when this vehicle is far enough ahead of you to make a lane change safely.

If you are overtaking a large vehicle, remember that there will be a spot where you can no longer see the driver in his rearview mirror. This is the danger spot. Move through this area to a point where you can see the driver's face. Remember, if you can't see the driver's face, he can't see you.

When following a large vehicle, remember the same thing: he can't see you or your vehicle if you can't see his rearview mirrors. When following a large vehicle your visibility is reduced. You will be unable to see the color of the upcoming traffic signals. Other cars and cross traffic will be unable to see you and your vehicle. This is a dangerous area. Back off until you can see the rearview mirrors or pass this vehicle.

And the best for last: passing a large vehicle and then changing lanes without leaving enough room. This vehicle will take several hundred feet more to stop than your vehicle at freeway speeds and the example at the beginning of this article illustrates the consequences at low speeds. If you find that a large vehicle creeps up on yours and it is too close, don't hit the brakes, change lanes and allow the larger vehicle to go around you. If you are passing a large vehicle, keep going until you see the vehicle in your rearview mirror before changing lanes. Then signal your intentions and make the lane change slowly. This will allow the larger vehicle to take the appropriate actions to let you in front of it.

Being conscious of the hazards and anticipating the consequences can help prevent these types of crashes happening to you.

Craig Harding
Public Information Officer
St. George Police Department

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