DO YOU KNOW THE NO-ZONE?

According to a 1999 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, between 1984 and 1992, the number of trucks involved in fatal crashes was on a downward trend, falling from 5,124 to 4,035, a decrease of more than 20 percent. However, in 1993, car-truck related fatalities rose to 4,849, a 16 percent increase from the previous year. In 1994, these types of fatalities climbed another 5 percent to 5,112. Concerned with this trend, Congress requested in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) "educate the motoring public about how to safely share the road with commercial vehicles (CMVs)."

In response, in April 1994, the OMCHS introduced the national No-Zone Campaign strategy to increase public recognition about commercial vehicle limitations in an effort to influence the motoring public’s driving behavior; decrease the number of car-commercial vehicle crashes; and ultimately reduce fatalities, injuries, and property damage.

The term No-Zone represents the areas around large trucks and buses where CMV drivers have limited visibility increasing the risk of a crash. These blind spots around trucks and buses have been named the No-Zone because they are areas that other vehicles should avoid or travel through as quickly and safely as possible to reduce the incidence of a collision. Trucks and buses have large No-Zones on either side, directly behind, and immediately in front of them, as well as limitations of maneuverability and stopping distance. The picture below shows these No-Zones.

The most recent statistics indicate that car-truck crashes remain a serious problem. Statistics provided by the OMCHS Information Analysis Division indicate that in 1997, potentially 36 percent of all two-vehicle crashes between a large truck and a passenger vehicle took place in the No-Zone around a truck. In 1997, almost 13 percent of the people killed in all traffic crashes, or a total of 5,355 lives, were lost in car-truck accidents.

So what does this mean? The drivers should apply the following:

Passenger vehicles and smaller vehicles should attempt to avoid the No-Zone or travel through as quickly as possible.

Large trucks and buses have less maneuverability and require greater stopping distances; therefore, drivers of other vehicles should recognize this and allow added for an added space cushion.

Large truck and bus drivers should also recognize the issues with maneuverability and stopping distance and apply defensive driving techniques to reduce the possibility of having to take emergency action (such as, hard braking).