Based on years of truck driving experience, a Pennsylvania trucker with a recent close call, offers safety hints to drivers

Every year thousands of motorists are killed in truck accidents. That fact alone should be a reminder to drivers to stay out of the blind spot of 18-wheelers. But Pennsylvania truck driver Nathan Bennet knows all too well about the hazards involved with truck accidents. He was involved in a similar accident years ago.

Recalling that an accident where a driver was coming down off a blind hill and drove underneath my trailer, he said that driver was lucky: "I was driving a log trailer and luckily that was what happened because if I had just a regular flatbed it would have cut him in half."

In his 10 years as a trucker, Bennet has seen his share of poor decisions by drivers. "I've seen little old ladies squeal the tires to get out in front of you and then do 30 mph."

The biggest mistake drivers can make is not being visible. “If you're within five foot of the end of the trailer, you can't see anybody there, especially if you're loaded," explained Bennet, pointing to the middle section of his cab a few feet behind the driver's door.

"Another thing, they get right behind on your bumper. They think they save fuel mileage that way, that's not the safest thing in the world."

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