When stopping on the right side of the road, how far should you place the first warning triangle?

When stopping on the right side of the road with a commercial vehicle, placing the first warning triangle at least 10 feet away is crucial for ensuring visibility and safety. This distance allows oncoming traffic to be alerted early to your presence and to the potential hazards of your stopped vehicle. By positioning the warning triangle at this distance, it provides drivers adequate time to react, which is particularly important on high-speed roads where stopping unexpectedly can lead to accidents.

The placement of warning triangles is part of safety protocols to prevent secondary collisions. Triangles placed too close to your vehicle may not give enough warning to approaching drivers, while placing them too far could reduce their visibility, negating their effectiveness. Thus, the correct distance of 10 feet strikes a balance between visibility and practicality, ensuring that the warning is noticeable without being overly intrusive to the regular flow of traffic.