Fatal truck crashes throughout the United States are currently at a 10-year high, with the midwest seeing its fair share of large truck-related accidents.

For instance, Central Indiana alone has recently had numerous fatal truck crashes of its own. Earlier this month, three people died–including a one-year-old girl–when a commercial truck was not paying attention to the road and slammed into slowing traffic on I-65, killing everyone in the car in front of him.

The collision set of a chain of crashes involving eight passenger vehicles and one tractor-trailer, and marks Indiana’s third deadly accident since July of 2019 involving a distracted or impaired truck driver.

Just over two years ago, the industry reported that over 12 million trucks weighing at least 10,000 pounds hit public roads. Experts say a large increase in e-commerce sales, as well as a booming economy, are the reason.

“At the end of the day, it’s all of our responsibility to make sure we have safe highways,” said American Trucking Associations spokesman Sean McNally.

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Board, nearly 5,000 people died in incidents involving large trucks in 2017, and 72% of those who were killed were the drivers and passengers of other vehicles. 82% were multi-vehicle crashes.

“We are seeing more of these accidents as distracted driving becomes more of an issue,” said Stephen Wagner, an Indianapolis attorney who represents semi crash victims. “Fortunately, we’re seeing prosecutors taking these cases seriously and charging people when their inattention takes people’s lives.”

Because of this, experts are offering safety advice for drivers who may be sharing the road with truckers:

1. Drive defensively

Being a defensive driver and anticipating unexpected actions of others can help you make much safer decisions.

“Most people tell me that they feel like they’re good drivers; it’s other drivers they’re worried about,” said Sgt. John Perrine of the Indiana State Police.

2. Pay extra attention when approaching a work zone

When traffic slows ahead of a construction or work zone, conditions can become especially dangerous.

According to Perrine, you should always leave yourself an exit (such as staying close to a shoulder), and keep an eye on your mirrors to avoid any potential mistakes by other drivers or issues caused by changes in road conditions or speed.

3. Avoid a truck’s blind spots

Although all vehicles have blind spots, a truck’s are much bigger and much more dangerous. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind–if you can’t see a truck’s mirrors, the trucker cannot see you.

Chris Turner, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s crash and data programs director, agrees. 

“Stay out of the blind spot, pass with plenty of distance, [and] make sure you can see all of the cab in the rearview mirror” before merging, he explained.

4. Give trucks plenty of space

Always make sure to leave a bigger amount of space between your car and a large truck. Trucks need hundreds of feet to stop while driving at highway speeds due to their weight and size.

“Those vehicles just can’t stop. Their mass is so much more intensified,” said Turner. “A passenger car would have to be going roughly 200 miles per hour to do the same damage.

5. Obey all laws and speed limits, and use your turn signal

Speeding, especially on a busy highway, can greatly increase your chances of a crash. When failing to use your turn signal, those changes grow even more.

Sticking to traffic laws, no matter how simple, will always make it safer for you, other drivers, and trucks.

6. Put your phone away

When it comes to road safety, all driving and trucking experts have one key point they always want to drive home: cellphones are one of the biggest culprits in distracting drivers and wreaking havoc on the road.

“Please,” said Peter Kurdock of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, “put the phone down.”

All of these tips include one major aspect: paying close attention to the road while driving. Although commercial vehicles are the biggest danger to drivers and passengers alike, Boone County Sheriff Michael T. Nielsen asserts that any kind of distracted driving is an enormous problem and huge safety risk.

“The Boone County Sheriff’s Office feels strongly that those [who] cause death on our public roadways, because of driver inattention, should be held accountable,” he said. “Please pay attention to your driving when operating a motor vehicle. Give yourself plenty of room to have a way out [and] put down your phone or other objects.”

A Tesla driving on autopilot has rear-ended a parked police car in Connecticut, once again bringing alarmed responses regarding the automated technology.

The carmaker’s driver-assistance system, named ‘Autopilot,’ was operating a Tesla Model 3 sedan when it hit a parked police cruiser around 12:40 a.m. on December 7th. The highway-patrol vehicle was stopped with its hazard lights flashing on a major highway outside of Norwalk, Connecticut when the officer was working to assist a disabled SUV.

The driver of the Tesla said he was checking on his dog in the backseat when his vehicle rear-ended the cruiser. He told police the Tesla Model 3’s Autopilot feature had been activated and that he was not facing forward at the time of the accident.

The Model 3 also continued on to collide with the bumper of the disabled Jeep, which the officer was assisting. The rear end of the police cruiser, along with the front end of the Tesla, both sustained “heavy” damage.

The driver was issued a misdemeanor for reckless endangerment and reckless driving, but luckily, no one was injured.

“When operating a vehicle, your full attention is required at all times to ensure safe driving,” said a Facebook post by Connecticut State Police. “Although a number of vehicles have some automated capabilities, there are no vehicles currently for sale that are fully automated or self-driving.”

Tesla’s Autopilot system allows its vehicles to accelerate, steer, and brake automatically while changing lanes or staying within a single lane. Still, the feature needs “active driver supervision,” according to Tesla’s website. 

The Saturday morning incident has increased current concerns that Tesla is not working efficiently toward increasing safe usage of the Autopilot feature. Although the company’s vehicle user manuals urge drivers to stay attentive and keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times, Elon Musk himself has often retweeted video clips of hands-free Autopilot driving. 

Some Tesla drivers haven even posted videos of drivers appearing asleep at the wheel while Autopilot is in use.

This isn’t the first time Tesla’s Autopilot has been part of a major crash. In three past fatal crashes, including a 2018 deadly crash in Delray Beach, Florida (also with a Model 3), Autopilot was engaged. However, the National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating how much Autopilot actually contributed to that particular crash.

Additionally, another crash last year took place on a Southern California highway when a Tesla Model S ran into the back of a fire truck. Although this crash didn’t cause any injuries, it triggered another U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigation, raising questions regarding the limitations of driver-assist technology such as this, which often fails to detect stationary objects.

It seems this particular issue has been a problem for some time now, without much improvement. We reported back in 2018 that although semi-automated control in vehicles is meant to protect drivers from risky situations on the road, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had released a “Reality Check,” which warned drivers  that “cars and trucks with electronic driver assist systems may not see stopped vehicles and could even steer you into a crash if you’re not paying attention.”

This August 2018 warning came after five different systems from Tesla, BMW, Volvo and Mercedes had been tested on both tracks and public roads. During this testing, the highway safety institute found that when testing automatic braking, Tesla’s system in both the Model S and Model 3 were the most dangerous–they were the only models that did not stop in time when tested on a track.

Still, Tesla continues to release its quarterly reports indicating that any driver using Autopilot is safer than one operating without it. Tesla also claims that this driving system reminds drivers that they are always responsible for staying attentive on the road, and that the system prohibits Autopilot use when safety warnings are ignored.

Clearly, this technology still has is limits, and drivers must always keep in mind that any system along the lines of “autopilot” is not self-driving, but is there to assist drivers with their control of the vehicle.