Road Safety Maintaining control of your vehicle

Maintaining control Truck drivers constantly need to maintain control, to provide for the safety of: – the driver, – the product being shipped, – and all the other folks sharing the road.

Road Safety There are many responsibilities that come with the privilege of operating a vehicle on a roadway.

Road Safety All drivers on the road need to work together to maximize safe conditions.

Road Safety This important topic has been studied extensively. The data can help us focus on what each of us can do to contribute to making the roadways safer.

Road Safety Studies show: Over 90% of all accidents involve human error (risky behavior, impairment, etc.) Less than 10% of all accidents involve vehicle factors (brake failure, worn tires, etc.)

Road Safety Risky Behavior: Speeding accounts for about 15% of all driving accidents. The effect of speed on stopping distance: Whenever speed is doubled, it takes about four times as much distance to stop, and your vehicle will have about four times the destructive power if it crashes. AAA Foundation

Road Safety Risky Behavior: Driving in blind spots CUTTING IN FRONT CAN CUT YOUR LIFE SHORT If you cut in front of another vehicle, you may create an emergency-braking situation for the vehicles around you, especially in heavy traffic. It takes a large vehicle twice the time and room to stop as it does a car.

Road Safety Risky Behavior: Driving in blind spots Side blind spot: If you can't see the driver's face in their side mirror or window, they can't see you and may not know you're there. Front blind spot: Make sure that you can see the entire front of the vehicle in your inside rear-view mirror before you pull back in front.

Road Safety Risky Behavior: Driving in blind spots

Road Safety Impairment takes on many forms. Here are a few examples: Under the influence of drugs or alcohol Drowsiness Driving while talking on the phone Driving while texting

Road Safety Impairment: Under the influence of drugs or alcohol: About 40% of traffic deaths are attributed to drunk driving.

Road Safety Impairment: Drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0.10 are 6 to 12 times more likely to get into a fatal crash or injury than drivers with no alcohol.

Road Safety Impairment: Sometimes a person could be under the impression that they are more sober. For example, drinking coffee can decrease drowsiness, and the drinker might mistakenly believe that they are more sober. The person is still impaired for the purposes of driving, as their coordination and reaction time are still affected by the alcohol. Eating various dehydrated and salty products such as crackers, chips and pretzels may settle the stomach allowing the driver to feel more sober when, in reality, they are simply keeping their blood sugars from crashing.

Road Safety Impairment: US Department of Transportation estimates 40,000 injuries per year due to effects of drowsiness, and 150 fatalities.

Road Safety Survival times for humans: No food—3 to 4 weeks No water—3 to 4 days No shelter—3 to 4 hours No sleep at the wheel of a vehicle— 3-4 seconds WorkSafe Western Australia

Road Safety Impairment: More than 20% of traffic fatalities of teens between 16 and 19 years old occurred while the driver was texting or talking on a cell phone.

Road Safety Impairment: Studies say that drivers using phones are four times as likely to cause a crash, about the same likelihood as if they were drunk.

Road Safety Impairment: Studies also show that hands free devices do not help, in fact, they may worsen the situation because the driver is under the impression their behavior is safe.

Road Safety Impairment: Texting while driving increases the risk of a crash or a near-crash 23.2 times greater than a non-distracted driver

Road Safety Impairment: A 2009 experiment with Car and Driver magazine editor Eddie Alterman took place at a deserted air strip showed that texting while driving had a greater impact on safety than driving drunk. While legally drunk, Alterman's stopping distance from 70 mph increased by 4 feet; by contrast, reading an e- mail added 36 feet, and sending a text added 70 feet.

Road Safety Another way to look at it—look at three factors that affect total stopping distance: – Perception distance About ¾ second, equals 60 ft. at 55 mph – Reaction distance About ¾ second, equals 60 ft. at 55 mph – Braking distance About 4 ½ seconds, equals 170 ft. at 55 mph Add it up: 290 ft., about the distance of a football field

Road Safety Assuring a safe start: – Check yourself. How is your attitude? Are you rested? Feeling well? Are any phones in the car put away? – Fasten your seatbelt. – Look around, check traffic, and focus on the roadway.

Summary All drivers on the road need to work together to maximize safe conditions Speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, drowsiness, driving while talking on the phone, and driving while texting are major contributors to traffic accidents and fatalities.

Summary We can all work together to make the roads safer.

Reflection Truck drivers and other drivers look out for you, how can you look out for them? When you or someone in your family drives a car, what can you do to avoid becoming a potentially dangerous factor for other drivers?