I do it for a living
May 20 '00
I drive an 18-wheeler in the city. I'm constantly seeing people do things that seemingly escape logic, and prevent a smooth flow of traffic. Let me start by concentrating on trucks and cars on the road together, partly for the benefit of the truck drivers but mostly for the drivers of the 4-wheeled vehicles. First of all, never never brake-check a truck. No matter how good the brakes are or how fast the driver reacts, air brakes take longer to engage, and the heavier vehicle requires more distance to stop. You will lose that battle if the truck can't stop in time. Don't drive right next to a truck. Stay behind, or make the pass. If a tire blows out, the tire pieces can do serious damage to your vehicle. That also can cause a sudden loss of control in the truck, and the truck may hit you. If the driver of the truck needs to move over suddenly for whatever reason, he/she won't be able to. We require a lot more maneuvering room, braking distance, and acceleration time. Also, sitting next to a truck might have you ending up in the blind spot, and that increases the risk of the driver changing lanes without seeing you.
Now for a few tips on general courtesy and technique. Don't park on the on-ramp. Try to check traffic as you approach the ramp, and find a good opening to get yourself into, and time the merge as best as you can. Don't sit in the left lane doing 5mph under the limit. If you want to take your time, that's just fine, but please try to do it in one of the right-hand lanes. Try to move over if you're in the left lane and people come up behind you. It's safer for you to move right and allow a pass than it is for a person to try to pass you on the right. In low visibility, if you're nervous, move right or get off the road and calm yourself down. Going extremely slowly in bad weather causes the traffic to bunch up that much more behind you, and increases the risk of collisions. Plan ahead for your exits. Make a smooth transition over to the right lanes toward your exit, instead of stopping or slowing to a crawl in one of the left lanes when you still have a mile or so to move right.
Turn off those darn fog/driving lights when there are cars around you, oncoming or travelling with you! Those suckers are BRIGHT!
Cell-phones. People seem to not be able to listen and look at the same time. Perhaps holding the phone to one's ear requires a lot of concentration. I think people should be required to use headsets or speaker phones.
Well, there's my jarful of 2 cent coins. Thanks for listening.
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Epinions.com ID:
nysteak
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Member: John B
Location: Dallas, TX
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 1 member
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