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SALT LAKE CITY — When it starts to rain out on the roads, like it did Monday, can big trucks see you?
If you don't have your lights on, chances are they cannot.
Here's one of the guidelines for safe driving around trucks: If you can't see the trucker in his rearview mirror, then he or she can't see you. When it starts to rain, visibility around a big rig deteriorates quickly.
Ryan Dorius has driven semitrucks for six years. But when it rains, he worries about other motorists.
"When there's standing water on the road, I've got water on my mirrors, I've got water on my windows and I'm spraying a lot of road spray," Dorius said. "If there are cars that don't think to turn on their headlights, sometimes it's almost impossible to see them."
Dorius' truck has 10 axles, is 100 feet long and can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. If he can't see you, he might move over and accidentally run you off the road.
"I haven't run into anybody yet, but I've had a couple of horns honked at me before, Dorius said."
Many modern vehicles now have daytime running lights, but in heavy rain, headlights provide the greatest visibility.
"You've got to be seen," Dorius said. "It's easier just to turn your headlights on. Safer, anyway."
The Utah Highway Patrol and UDOT agree: Turning your lights on in the rain is a common sense approach, and improves visibility and safety. But it is not the law in Utah, though it is in many other states.
Nearly a quarter of all vehicles on Utah's roads are trucks, and the number is increasing.
"It only takes a second to reach up and hit the switch or turn the knob," Dorius said."
