(WSVN) - We’ve all seen aggressive drivers on the roads in South Florida. Now the Florida Highway Patrol is cracking down on them as part of their new safety campaign.
FHP has launched its Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks, or TACT, campaign, which begins today and runs through June 28.
Troopers will conduct traffic stops and ticket drivers spotted weaving through traffic or tailgating, along with raising awareness about safe driving behaviors through billboards and radio ads.
“In fatal crashes involving large trucks, 88 percent of the time the crash is attributable to driver error by both car and truck drivers,” FHP wrote on its website. “Only 12 percent of the crashes are the result of vehicle defects, road conditions or inclement weather.”
Troopers offer the following tips on how to interact safely with large trucks on the road:
- Don’t cut off trucks. Total stopping distance is very different for a large truck than a passenger car. When you pass a large truck allow a car length for every 10 mph you are traveling. Cutting it close with a truck can cut your life short.
- Stay out of the truck’s blind spots/No Zones. Trucks have very large blind spots.
- Keep a safe distance. While it is never safe to tailgate any vehicle on the highway, following too close is particularly dangerous around large trucks and buses because the size of these vehicles prevents you from seeing the road ahead and having sufficient time to react to slowing or stopped traffic or another obstacle.
- Only change lanes when you can see both of the truck’s headlights in your rearview mirror.
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