What are the best ways to ensure you don't get in accidents

I agree, I never get the tailgating in a single lane construction zone that's 10 miles long

 

Never, under any circumstance, leave the house!

 

There are 14 points of contact on a tractor trailer. Learn them. Watch them. Sometimes, going ahead is better than slamming on brakes. To know when takes time. Pay attention.

 

Know what color NJ and NY license plates look like and you'll be ahead of the game a little.

 

One of the things that people in cars do is get complacent in their driving. They bring the same mentality with them to CDL school. The plan is to get a CDL, find a job, and be set. No...you should always be looking to improve your craft. You can ALWAYS improve. You can always become better. Pushing yourself to new heights prevents complacency and replaces it with efficiency. You train your reflexes. Snow, rain, heavy wind, heavy traffic...good habits should become automatic.

You should know your following distance without having to count the seconds off. Road signs, you should automatically see all of them. You should know your speed without checking the speedometer. STexan mentioned pre planning. At first, it may be a chore. It should become like breathing.

Good habits should increase your money and decrease your stress levels.

 

I think it's all been covered. Patience, space, pay attention, don't let yourself feel rushed, don't get complacent and most importantly don't ever stop trying to improve. If you're not trying to get better you have become complacent.

Safe driving is mental, not physical.

Use your head, don't lose your head.

 

If you are driving a 10 speed make SURE you can easily shift the 11th gear, the one between your ears.

Traffic starts building as you approach a city? Shift your mental gear. It's no longer about running the speed limit, it's all about space management.

Look for what other folks on the road need and be willing at all times to sacrifice your space to give them the space they need. Look out for the safety of others on the road and I guarantee your safety increases exponentially.

 

Don't look at the road 6' in front of your hood. It was a bad habit I had that I broke away from. Look way up ahead and try to anticipate traffic lights, vehicles, etc.

 

Another reply to you, 2 bears in the median just waiting, clearly visible for at least a mile as it was a slight uphill.
Pickup and trailer passes me doing 79 in a 75, (OnGuard) they hit the brakes 150 feet from them,

 

Rule number 1

"No matter how hard, how careful, how good you are as a driver, you WILL get into an accident at one point in your career. It doesn't matter if you are the best truck driver ever. you can go a year , two maybe 10. YOU WILL get into an accident. That's the nature of the beast. It only takes one idiot to do the wrong thing near your truck"

~some driver, somewhere~

Job comes with a warning.