18 Wheels of Steel and 1,000s of Pounds of Cargo

If you have had the misfortune of driving on the Interstate with 18-Wheelers who engage in dangerous and life threatening driving, you are certainly not alone. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) along with the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates specific driving practices and procedures for these dangerous trucks and drivers.

After spending years driving as cautiously as possible on the Interstates, my heart still skips a beat and my knuckles grip my own steering wheel out of fear every time I see a truck bearing down on my "much smaller" vehicle. My worst fear was being trapped on all sides by these "highway giants"..... boxed in and no where to go. It happened! Although I kept telling myself it was going to be okay...the trucker on my right had a "blowout" and veered far right into a lane with traffic trying to merge onto the Interstate. All I could hear were brakes and smell rubber burning, and maybe the sound of my own heart beating overtaken with fear. Luckily, there were no injuries or fatalities that time.

The odds of being injured severely or even fatally injured are increased by the size and weight of the vehicles involved in the crash. When you look into your rear view mirror and all you see is the "grill" of an 18-wheeler you know the length of highway it would take them to stop is much greater than yours. If the traffic in front of you has to stop suddenly....you then become a victim of an 18-wheeler collision.

You can submit a safety violation complaint either online at http://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/sv_disclaimer.asp or via the Department of Transportation toll free hot line at 1-888-DOT-SAFT.

According to the Federal Carrier Motor Safety Administration, a person who has witnessed unsafe driving of a commercial truck or bus can report this as a safety violation. Your complaint will be recorded and forwarded to DOT. The DOT hot line focuses on safety problems. If the problem is not safety related, they will help direct you to the appropriate governmental agency.