TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Semis are often the biggest vehicles on the road, and their sheer size can make them difficult to control and stop at a moment's notice. These factors make it critical for other drivers on the road to be more cautious.
In a wild dash cam video captured last month, a truck driver was cut off and brake checked several times as they tried to merge onto I-10.
"There’s an old saying that you can’t fix stupid. That was probably the epitome of stupid," said President and CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association, Tony Bradley, when asked about his reaction to the video.
The truck driver attempted to merge onto the onramp after allowing an emergency vehicle to pass; that's when the sedan driver can be seen from the left side driving past the semi before cutting in front of it and brake-checking the driver several times.
"The professional truck driver drove professionally, drove calmly, was paying attention to his surroundings and making sure he didn’t hit the back of that vehicle," Bradley said.
A semi weighs as much as 80,000 pounds when loaded. Coupling that with high speeds and the airbrake system they often use, you have a recipe for disaster if drivers around them aren’t careful.
"People create close calls to a point where you kind of feel bad and hope nothing ever happens to them," said Dennis Robles who has been truck driving for two years with DSW.
He says when tragedy does strike, it often doesn’t end well for smaller vehicles.
"Sadly, we see a lot of accidents out there, and almost no damage happens to us versus the car when something like that happens," Robles said. "And it’s just not worth it."
Fortunately, there were no crashes in the February 14 incident. Bradley is urging all drivers to do their part on the road.
"You pay attention, share the road with a truck, with a motorcycle, with a passenger vehicle so that we can all get home safe and hug our loved ones at the end of the day," he said.
