Great caution is required to prevent accidents while driving trucks. While on the road, you may not be able to influence other drivers’ behavior but you’re expected to adhere to regulations, measures and precautions that will keep you on the safe side.
As a considerate truck driver, you wouldn’t like to harm others and neither would you want to be victimized by other drivers’ frivolities. One essential thing is to know the effective ways you can avert road dangers while another is to stick with safety regulations at all times. Regardless of the distance being covered, here are the top 5 ways truck drivers can avoid injury.
Favorable Sitting Posture
Truck driving is an activity that requires sitting for a considerably long period. Meanwhile, you can sustain injuries or discomforts like back ache and numb buttocks if you’re not assuming the appropriate sitting posture. Besides helping you to feel comfortable, sitting properly can prevent you from certain road mishaps. If you’re sitting in a manner that strains your neck while driving, this could mean you have to change your sitting posture. For the fact that you may be required to cover a lengthy distance, knowing and practising a favorable sitting posture will be of great benefit to you.
Knowing the Appropriate Speeds
Oftentimes, brake distance, driving speed and the distance to keep from other vehicles are determined by the weight you’re conveying. If you’re able to weigh what you’re transporting, chances are that you will maintain favourable speeds all through your trip. Instances of items falling off a truck usually occur when the truck driver is reckless or fails to maintain the appropriate speeds.
Giving Yourself Some Rest
Some truck drivers travel for more than 12 alternate hours –although this is prohibited as contained in federal regulations. If you’re on a lengthy trip you’re expected to complete within the time frame of 10-15 hours, it’s advisable that
you take a couple of breaks and give yourself enough rest. Each time you feel exhausted and think there is need to rest and restore vigor to your body, you can easily take advantage of stop-overs to do that. Not only will this reinvigorate you, it will also lessen the risk of accidents you can sustain as a result of tiredness and other defects on your part.
Knowing Your Lane Distance
One sure way to avoid road accidents, particularly those involving vehicle collisions, is to know the distance required before using the brake, kick-starting and pulling up the vehicle. If you’re always ignoring the favourable brake distance, your vehicle is likely to collide with others’. Of course, knowing the appropriate lane distance is a proven way to keep a safe distance between you and other drivers on your lane.
Overtaking Larger Vehicles on the Left
If you’re driving your truck near larger trucks or other vehicles such as tractor trailers, ensure you’re overtaking on the left. This is often considered one of the vital rules drivers are required to comply with in order to reduce the likelihood of road accidents.
Conclusion
Other than following these useful tips, you need to ensure you have the best parts and accessories available for your truck. Say for example, have one of the best semi-truck steering wheels for total and complete control of your truck. These days, the use of stainless steel truck fenders too has been playing a great role to avoid accidents and injuries.
