Commercial drivers must maintain an adequate lateral space cushion to prevent sideswipe collisions and navigate roadway hazards safely. Match each side-space driving scenario with the appropriate defensive driving response.
- Passing a line of parked vehicles along a city streetMove toward the left portion of your travel lane and scan for suddenly opening doors or exiting pedestrians
- Emerging from a sheltered road cut onto an open, elevated bridge during gusty weatherFirmly hold the steering wheel and anticipate sudden lateral displacement from strong crosswinds
- Traveling on a multi-lane roadway where a passenger car is cruising directly alongside your trailerAdjust vehicle speed by easing off the throttle or safely accelerating to break up side-by-side entrapment
- Encountering active construction barrels placed tight against the right lane boundaryShift position slightly toward the left side of the lane while remaining fully centered within lane markings
Answer
Parked city vehicles match with moving left within the lane while watching for doors; exiting onto an open bridge matches with gripping the wheel firmly against crosswinds; a vehicle cruising alongside matches with adjusting speed to break up entrapment; construction barrels on the right edge match with biasing position toward the left side of the lane.
Proper side-space management requires commercial drivers to maintain space cushions around the entire vehicle. Moving left within the lane provides clearance from parked cars and construction barrels on the right shoulder, anticipating crosswinds stabilizes the rig on bridges, and modifying speed eliminates risky side-by-side entrapment on multi-lane highways.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Managing space to the sides through proper lane positioning, speed adjustments, and anticipating lateral hazards.
Estimated Time:1m 0s