Preventing the Lane Change Accident Through Protective

Driving

Presented By:

What Happened to Defensive Driving?

Protective Driving is a better technique

You are less likely to die in a crash with a car than the car driver

Must protect the public as well as yourself

By protecting the public you protect yourself, your company, and the industry

Characteristics of a Professional Driver

CourteousAttentive“Senses” what others will do…or

not doDoes not make risky movesAllows a “safety cushion” around

the truckObeys traffic laws

Characteristics of an Unprofessional Driver

Tailgates and intimidatesCuts people offChanges lanes unnecessarilyExcessive speedRude, vulgar on CB to other

driversThinks the bigger vehicle will win

Critical Crashes

• Are preventable

• Happen frequently

• Have high severity

Why Critical Crashes Happen

• Driver didn’t know the proper technique

• Driver didn’t try the proper technique

• Driver didn’t care

Lane Change Accident Causes

• Failure to scan side and rear spaces

• Wandering over lane dividers

• Failure to anticipate lane mergers

• Following too closely

• Failure to compensate for traffic conditions

Causes Continued…

• Improper mirror adjustment

• Failure to signal

• Improper loading of double or triple trailers

• Driver inattention

Concentrate on Your Driving

• You make approximately 180 decisions per minute while driving

• Doing other tasks just adds to this total• If you make the right decision 99% of

the time, you are making 108 mistakes per hour!

• In a ten hour run that is 1080 mistakes!

The Typical Lane Change

• Truck driver is attempting to change lanes

• Other vehicle in driver’s blind spot

• Truck driver does not see other vehicle

• Makes contact with other vehicle before realizing it is there

• Truck driver gets blamed for accident

How Would You React?

• Think about a lane change accident

• Imagine yourself in the driver’s seat of the car…”Put the shoe on the other foot”

• If this happened to you or your family, would you sue the trucking company?

Protective Driving Techniques

• Assume that other drivers will make mistakes

• Be ready to compensate for others’ mistakes

• Search ahead to scan for danger

• Recognize hazardous situations before they become emergencies

Protective Driving Techniques

• Check blind spots before changing lanes -- Lean and Look

• Keep mirrors clean and properly adjusted

• Keep windshield clean

• Only pass when necessary

• Identify vehicles in mirrors so you know when they are replaced

Keep a Safety Cushion

Leave space allaround your vehicle...

This is not always easy to do...

Leave Yourself a “Way Out”

• Safety cushion leaves you an out

• Try not to get boxed in

• Always leave the proper following distance– Remember at 65 mph a car stops 209

feet faster than a truck

• Remember you only have 4 evasive options

4 Evasive Maneuvers

STOP

RIGHTLEFT

DRIVE THRU

Two Common Accident Examples

• Entrance/exit ramp mergers

• Improper following distance forces driver to change lanes quickly to avoid rear ending vehicle in front

• How do these accidents typically happen?

• What can you do to avoid them?

Words of Wisdom for the Road

• Stop signs do not stop vehicles

• Turn signals do not turn vehicles

• Most people do not understand the limitations of trucks

• Smart people still do dumb things

• ASSUME ALL OTHER DRIVERS ARE IDIOTS

Thank You For Attending

Have a Safe Trip Home

- - - - - - - - - -______________________JOHNSONSAFETRACKS

MARVIN