Truckers and state safety officials are pushing a campaign they hope will make holiday travel safer. The American Trucking Association’s “Share the Road” campaign seeks to get drivers of the big rigs — and those in regular vehicles — to co-exist on the highways throughout the Fourth of July weekend. Jerry Arvossa is a spokesman for the association and a 17-year veteran truck driver. He says one big problem is overaggressive driving. He says there are a number of ways you can combat the problem, mainly, just trying to be courteous and give yourself and the other cars a lot of room. Speaking at a truckstop in Altoona on I-80 west of Des Moines, Arvosa says one thing motorists don’t realize is there are a lot of blind spots around a semi and trailer. He says never pass a truck on the right side as that’s their biggest blind spot, and if they have to make an abrupt lane change, they won’t see you on the right side. He says a good rule is if you can’t see a trucker’s face in their side-view mirrors — then they can’t see you — and you’re in a blind spot. Arvosa says you also have to remember a truck can’t stop on a dime. He says a fully loaded tractor-trailer which can weigh up to 80-thousand pounds traveling up to 60 miles an hour takes the length of a football to come to a complete stop in the best conditions. He says that’s twice as far as is needed for a car to come to a complete stop. Arvossa’s bio says he’s traveled over one million miles without an accident. He’s not willing though to rank which state is the best or worst to drive in. “I wouldn’t say there’s any one state that has, uh, worse drivers,” he says, “every state has their own unique circumstances.”
