I have been compiling this one for a while, The comments that I am writing are not specificly aimed at the writers that usually frequent this blog. I know a lot of you and I’m sure that you are all safe and courtious drivers. I hope that some of you will take these ideas to heart and pass them along to others who may not be quite as dilligent in their driving habits as all of you are, Also I hope that I can make some of the actions that we take for granted come a little more to the front of our conciousness. ( I have completed the Smith Systems Driving Course and that is what it teaches Basicly) Now that being said, What the hell is wrong with the people today when they get behind the wheel!!!?
Now as many of you all know I am a Professional Over the road Long haul truck driver(whew) I have driven over 1 Million accident free miles, I make my living behind the wheel and I see these things on a daily basis. Now I would ask everyone to go to their respective Department of Motor Vevicles and pick up a copy of your states drivers manual( the one that you had to read to get your drivers licence) also pick up a copy of the Commericial Vehicle Drivers Manual(this is the one that we have to read and be tested on to get our CDL.
Now my Points.
1.Speed Limits, Why is the same person who drives 70 Mph thru town the same person who drives 65 on the open road? I see it often people will drive like a bat out of hell thru town and then on the other side slow down if you are going to be a maniac in a congested area then isn’t it logical out where it is open then be a bigger maniac?
1.(a) Speedlimits through construction zones. If the Posted speed is 40 then why do people slow down to 20 also why do the construction workers want us to slow down to 20 if they want us to go that slow then make the limit 20. We are on a tight schedule and a lot of times these zones are not built into our time frame, our days are figured on a certiain average Mph.Also, They need to stay on their side of the barricade and we will stay on ours, you hear of accidents involving highway workers all the time what you don’t hear is how the worker stepped in front of the vehicle or leaned out too far this is the case a lot of the time.
2. Following Too Close, This one of my Pet Peeves. There is a sign on the back of a lot of trailers that says “If I stop Can You?” this is good advice. Most of the safety courses teaches this the one accident that is almost always preventable. I have seen my share of rear end collisions, and with the configurations of trailers that we pull today when someone hits the rear of one they are going up under the back end of it and that almost always results in the occupents of the automoblie being killed, I know that with gas the way it is today it is convienent to follow that semi to block the wind but, if that truck stops abruptly where will you go? also with the threat of terrorisim the way it is nowdays how does the truck driver know if the car following so close is trying to get inside his trailer. While moving you ask, It has Happened!.
3. On the other end, When you pass someone give a little room before you come back over into the right lane. Don’t just whip back over as soon as you have cleared their bumper I have had cars and( Semi’s also) come over so close that I could not see their back bumper, as a side to this don’t pass and IMMEDIATELY slam on your brakes so you can exit the freeway, if your exit is coming up stay behind the vehicle that you were going to pass and then get off. Some persons have taken this to an art form It is called the swoop and squat. A car passes you and stops causing you to have a rear end collision and then they can sue you for big bucks, and nothing comes up dollar signs like suing a Trucking company.
4. Passing, One saying puts it into perspective “Get Er Done” When you pull out into the passing lane GO don’t just pull out and set there, Remember it is called the PASSING lane so pass allready. Remember trucks have blind spots like you would not believe these are called the NO Zones, Remember don’t hang out in the No Zone.
5. Entering the freeway. At most entrance ramps there is a triangle shaped sign that says Yield. This means that you must wait until the road is clear before you can enter the highway. This does not mean that The vehicle traveling down the road must slow down and let you on ( if they do this consider it a courtesy not a right) In my case If the left lane is clear and there is no vehicle attempting to pass me I will move over for someone entering if not I do not have to slow down for you. when entering the road you must use the enterance ramp AKA the Acceleration lane to get your vehicle up to speed. This does not mean matching the speed of the vehicle next to you if you have to speed up a little bit to get out onto the road in front of the other vehicle do so, if not then wait for them to pass by and then enter, This is called Merging. Don’t run down the shoulder and expect someone to get over for you some times they can’t, and if we have to slow down and then get back up to speed that costs fuel in a Truck and as you all know today fuel is the main thing that we are worried about.
6. When you see a cop or an accident or other incident on the other side of the road you do not have to slow way down, 1st there is nothing you can do about it,2nd watch it on the news tonight, if it is not mentioned it was no big deal, 3rd the cop is not going to stop what they are doing, and come after you for doing the speed limit, every one has been traveling along and a cop has someont pulled over on the shoulder and everyone slows down 5 to 15 mph as they pass the cop, this does nothing but cause traffic jams, and wrecks.
Now I do not wish to just call down car drivers, every one of my points I have made have also been done by other truck drivers as well, The new crop of drivers that the driving schools are turning out every 4 weeks are In my opinion just not up to par with us older drivers, some things you just can’t learn from a book in a week, I have been doing this for 20 years and am still learning. If you see a truck doing something unsafe don’t be afraid to call their company and report it to their safety department, I have been called in on before and If I was found to be in error I took the punishment, But when you call make sure that the complaint is a valid one, if in doubt, read the drivers manual.(You went and got one didn’t you ?).
I have found that most road rage incidents started from some one thinking they had the right to do something and someone did not let them.
I hope that you have a safe motoring experence. If you give us a little rescect on the roads we will return it.
If any one of you would like to take a ride in a truck to see what I have been talking about and to see what we have to deal with out there every day all you have to do is ask. If I personally cannot do it for you I can arrange it with someone in your area, or call some of the trucking companies in your area and most of them will more than glad to.
Be safe Happy motoring.