Steer Clear Of Accidents — The Road Test
The single most dangerous place for working people to be is, strangely, behind the wheel of a car or truck. More on-the-job fatalities occur every year on America’s highways and city streets than anywhere else. However, you and your employees can minimize the risk of being in an accident by taking a few precautions when driving.
Inside you’ll find facts and helpful hints for reducing driving risks and a written test that will determine your knowledge of road safety (just like when you were a teenager).
Are you following the rules of the road? Here’s what you need to know to steer clear of accidents.
Obstacle #1 The Seat Belt
It doesn’t get any more basic than this: Seat belts save lives. Using them cuts the fatality
rate by 45% in cars and by as much as 60% in trucks and SUVs. We all know it. But one in five
Americans still fails to buckle up.
QUICK FACT
Illegal drug or alcohol use by truck drivers was cited as the cause of an accident in less than 1% of cases.
Obstacle #2 Distractions
Driving for commercial purposes is not a lazy Sunday afternoon pleasure cruise. You have a
specific job to do and a responsibility to yourself and your employer to get it done
accident free. To that end, make every effort to avoid any activity that could distract
you from the task at hand. Distractions slow your reaction time and create split-second
periods where your attention is somewhere other than on the road.
As the estimated 284,000 drivers who are involved in serious crashes every year know,
a split second is all it takes to have an accident.
Such distractions may include:
- Fatigue
- Talking or text messaging on a cell phone
- Eating
- Excessive use of the radio or loud music
- Chatting with dispatch or other drivers for reasons other than the job
- Reading
- Sending email with a Blackberry or other handheld device
- Putting on or removing articles of clothing (e.g., gloves, hats, sunglasses)
Obstacle #3 Decisions
According to a recent study, the No. 1 way to avoid an accident is to make good decisions
and be aware of what’s going on around you. In fact, in two-car accidents where a
truck driver was at fault, poor decision making or lack of driver recognition was
cited as the cause in more than 60% of cases.
QUICK FACT
Truck drivers are over 50% more likely than drivers of passenger cars to drive at a
speed too fast for road conditions.
Obstacle #4 Illegal Activities
A variety of activities and behaviors have been recognized as dangerous and have thus
been declared illegal to do while operating a car or truck. Some of these are obvious
and are, for the most part, taken very seriously by commercial drivers. Others,
however, are things that, despite being against the law, nearly all of us do from time to time.
Illegal and Prescription Drugs
Everyone knows that operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
is one of the riskiest behaviors in which we can engage. As a whole, commercial drivers
are aware of this fact and avoid such behaviors. In fact, a recent study shows that
only 0.4% of truck drivers involved in accidents were under the influence of illegal
drugs and only 0.3% were using alcohol. However, prescription drug use was present in
28.7% of two-car accidents — and many prescription drugs can be just as damaging
to your judgment and reaction time as illegal drugs.
Everyday Violations
Speeding, failure to use a blinker and driving with a taillight out are minor violations
for which most of us are occasionally guilty. But these minor violations have a dramatic
effect on the number of accidents on America’s highways. Speeding, for instance, raises
the chance of an accident by 300%. And 57% of Americans recently admitted to not using
their turn signals when changing lanes. These types of “minor” violations
may not be things that get you a ticket from the police, but they do put you and
other drivers at risk of accident and injury.
QUICK FACT
Men and young drivers are more likely than any other groups, 62% and 71% respectively,
to not use their turn signals when changing lanes.
Obstacle #5 Non Accident Safety Concerns
Not all safety hazards occur while the vehicle is in motion. Because they often carry
valuable cargo, commercial vehicles are prime targets for theft or carjacking.
Below are a few tips to protect you and your load when on the job:
- Maintain regular contact with your dispatcher.
- Plan your route and switch up your routine.
- There’s safety in numbers. Park in well-lit areas near other truckers.
- Look confident, like you know where you’re going and what you’re doing.
- Never discuss your cargo over the radio or when stopped. Thieves may be monitoring your conversations.
- Lock your vehicle at each stop and check it before re-entering.
Now that you’ve learned some driving facts and tips, take the written road test to see how well you score.
