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Lessons Learned:
Back To Basics
By Frederick C. Clark, ARM
Vice President, Transportation Services
Every now and then, it pays to review basic, common-sense
safety tips and then consistently practice them until
they’re second nature. The following tips can
help you improve your defensive driving skills, and
prevent accidents and injuries.
Anticipation
One of the most important driving techniques to learn
and use is “anticipation.” Looking for the
expected -- or the unexpected -- allows for a very smooth
flow of your vehicle through traffic. When you use a
12-second visual lead, you will be able to anticipate
changes in traffic around you. You’ll be able
to accommodate for the vehicles, pedestrians, fixed
objects, etc., that you “see” early by moving
to another lane, slowing, accelerating or stopping without
an abrupt action. Using a 12-second visual lead requires
little effort and reduces the number of changes you
make in your speed. Anticipating and leaving a space
cushion between your vehicle and the one in front of
you will reduce or eliminate the need to brake suddenly.
If there is an obstruction, sign or truck that limits
your 12-second visual lead, drop back. This will increase
your long vision, enabling you to anticipate traffic
changes. If the obstruction is the crest of a hill,
reduce your speed so that you have 12 seconds to make
necessary changes.
Practice looking 12 seconds ahead so that you can smoothly
drive your trip with a minimum of changes. We have seen
many accidents that occurred during these moments of
change -- last minute braking, lane changing, merging,
etc.
Tailgating
Tailgating is driving too close to the vehicle in
front of you. But how close is “too close?”
That depends on many factors including:
- The “following” vehicle: Larger, heavier
vehicles need more space cushion to stop.
- The “leading” vehicle: Larger vehicles
are difficult to see around; smaller vehicles may
stop more quickly; commercial vehicles may start and
stop more frequently.
- Type of roadway: City streets have many traffic
control signals; rural roads have unexpected entering
and exiting traffic, crossroads, etc.; highways have
greater speeds and merging traffic.
- Weather: Ice, water, fog and reduced lighting all
require greater stopping distances.
The list could go on and on. Spend some time adding
to this list, including the defensive driving maneuvers
that will prevent rear-end collisions.
Get in the habit of asking yourself this question:
If the vehicle in front of me stops, suddenly or otherwise,
do I have enough space to stop before I rear-end that
vehicle or cause some other accident? To ensure that
you consistently have a proper space cushion, you must
adjust your following distance (the distance between
your front bumper and that of the vehicle ahead) so
that you can see, react and stop before your vehicle
contacts the “leading” vehicle’s bumper.
Following Distance
A good rule for judging the appropriate following
distance is the 2/4-Second rule.
Most people have trouble judging distances. That’s
why it’s a good idea to consistently use the “2/4-Second”
rule at any speed. Here’s how it works:
- Choose a fixed object, such as a sign or tree, ahead
of the vehicle in front of you. Make sure the object
does not distract your attention from driving.
- As the vehicle in front of you passes the object,
begin counting two seconds (one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two,
etc.).
- If it takes at least two seconds before you pass
the object, you should have enough distance for a
safe stop under ideal, average conditions. If any
of those conditions discussed under “Tailgating”
(above) exist, then you need to increase your “count”
to one-thousand-three, one-thousand-four, etc., before
the fixed object passes you.
The 2/4-Second rule takes into account your speed and
the speed of the vehicle in front of you. Try the rule
while driving. It can help you develop good judgment
for proper following distances.
Many driving conditions are not ideal for a commercial
vehicle. Many “Million Mile” safe drivers
encourage and use a 4 to 6 second rule.
What To Do When Driving In The Fog
Fog reflects light and reduces visibility. Both the
reflected glare of your headlights and the ability to
see through the “haze” interfere with the
ability to judge distance and avoid other vehicles or
objects.
Even the experts cannot agree on a safe way to drive
in the fog. From this we must conclude that “it
is not safe to drive in foggy conditions.” The
best defense is not to drive in a fog. If you come upon
a fog situation, adjust your speed so that you can stop
within your “sight distance.” Ask yourself,
“How far can I see? Will I be able to safely stop?”
Prepare for emergency maneuvers. When blinding fog occurs,
pull off the highway and park in a safe location. Use
your warning triangles. Parking (stopping) in the road
may lead to a rear-end collision. The pavement is usually
wet in fog conditions. Therefore, you’ll need
to increase your stopping distance. Your lights, horn
and signal flashers are excellent warning devices for
emergency situations.
It is extremely hazardous to drive through heavy fog
patches or smoked highways. Many times alternate route
selection may be the safest choice even if you need
to drive many more miles. On rainy, snowy foggy or other
“gray days,” other vehicles, pedestrians,
bicycles, etc., blend into the surroundings.
Remember that foggy conditions raise the probability
for an accident. Your judgment can make the difference.
Frederick Clark has a BS degree in Chemistry and over
30 years of experience in the safety, health and environmental
field. He has gained expertise in many aspects of personal
and fleet safety and loss control management. He serves
the fleet safety needs and distribution-related needs
of clients by providing training, assessments, risk
analyses, and other loss prevention programs.
XL Environmental • Risk Control Division •
520 Eagleview Boulevard, PO Box 636, Exton, PA 19341
• Phone: 800-327-1414 • Fax: 610-458-7285
• xlenvironmental.com
©2004, XL Environmental. All rights reserved.
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