|
  |
|
|
Passing trucks safely
It is obvious to anyone who drives over 120,000 miles per year that very few people driving passenger vehicles give much thought to the laws of physics and how they "impact" results of our behavior on the road. I don't know just why this is but there is a universal agreement among professional drivers regarding this dangerous situation. Sadly the problem seems to worsen with each passing year. The main concern for this lesson is passenger vehicle activity around tractor trailers. The press and the ambulance chaser attorneys love to point the finger of blame at truckers even though both the government and the insurance industry statistics clearly demonstrate that the drivers of the cars cause most car/truck crashes. It would probably help matters greatly if all driver's ed classes included some teaching about the physical limitations of 80,000 pound trucks. For instance, did you know that trucks take several times more distance to stop than small vehicles do? That seems simple and logical but if you spent a day in the cab of a big truck, you would see that few people seem to grasp the concept. Maybe they are just distracted but there are a lot of unwitting attempted suicides out there. There are enough different dangerous driving behaviors to fill a book so only one will be discussed here. Most people do not pass 18 wheelers safely! Of course there are many legitimate reasons to pass trucks so it must be done frequently. Let's get it done safely. We all need to plan our driving ahead so when you see that you will be overtaking a truck, that is when you want to begin assessing the situation. It is unsafe for many reasons to run right up behind the truck (tailgating) and then make a sudden move to begin the passing maneuver. You would do better to move one lane to the left while you still have at least 6 to 7 car lengths between you and that vehicle that is longer and maybe heavier than your house. By the way never, ever pass on the right. Don't get irritated if the truck is in the center lane of 3 lanes. 99 out of 100 times if he/she is there, it is for a very good reason. Ok. Back to the left side pass. Please don't get next to the trailer wheels and just ride there for a while. This obstructs the flow of traffic and besides, if it's your lucky day and the trailer blows a tire, it could easily come right through your windshield with deadly force. Begin your pass when you know you have clear space to complete it and proceed. No need to race by. If you had a legitimate need to pass in the first place, your existing momentum should get you by with little effort. Now for the most important part. When do you move back into the right lane? Not until you have established a safe following distance, FOR A TRUCK! Remember he could easily and legally weigh 80,000 pounds. If you move over too soon and something causes you to do a panic stop, your journey on this planet is over. Sorry but there is nothing the trucker can do in that situation to keep you alive. A good rule of thumb is to wait until you can see the whole truck in your center rear view mirror (properly adjusted of course). When going through cities we often (almost always) get cars zipping around us that immediately slow down and take an exit off the freeway. That is insane! Maybe they forget where their exit is and then panic but some appear to do it in an effort to save time. At 60 MPH the difference between getting to your exit in front of a truck instead of behind it is less than 2 seconds even if you did allow safe following distances. If you took time to think about it, would you endanger your life, the lives of your passengers and those in other vehicles to save less than 2 seconds? So here I am asking you to take time to think about it. Thank you. |
No reactions yet.
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
The copyright for this content entitled "Passing trucks safely" has been specified by the contributor as:
All Rights Reserved
This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
|
 |
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
