It’s very saddening all these accidents happening lately on our roads. Unfortunately, we have noticed several ones involving heavy vehicles.
At Bridgestone, your safety is our priority, thus, it’s crucial for all of us to adopt a safe attitude while driving. Our experts have put together some simple tips to ensure your safety as well as your loved ones.
Driving around heavy vehicles
You will all agree that driving around heavy vehicles is not as easy job. There are several rules which a heavy vehicle driver needs to be cautious about. For example, large trucks and buses have some operating limitations such as large blind spots, long stopping distances, and limited maneuverability that makes it essential for other vehicles to put extra focus on safety.
Keeping those in mind, we drivers, can adopt simple actions to focus on our safety
- Long vehicles and buses have huge blind spots. Don’t cut it too close a bus or a truck. Moving quickly from either side can be dangerous especially when you are in a blind spot. So, avoid driving in their blind spot by either slowing down or move ahead to stay visible. One of the best ways to know if you are in the heavy vehicle’s blind spot is to spot the driver in the truck’s side mirror.
- Make sure you can see the driver in the mirror before passing. Trigger your light indicator then move in the right lane and accelerate so that you can get past the truck or bus safely and promptly. Don’t linger in the blind spot. Avoid passing trucks and buses on a downgrade where they tend to pick up speed.
- Never pass from the left lane. On the other hand, when bus or lorry is passing you, stay to the left and slow down slightly. Give them plenty of space to merge in front of you.
- Tailgating a truck or a bus will create a dangerous situation. As trucks are high, if you fail to stop in time (or get hit from behind) your vehicle could slide under the truck. Getting too close when stopped is also dangerous – particularly on an upgrade, where a bus or truck might roll back.
- Buses and trucks require extra turning room; they swing or even get in the middle of the road to initiate a turn. When the turn signal is on, never try to squeeze or get between the vehicle and the curb. When reaching an intersection never stop in the front of the line as they need that space to complete turns safely.
- When negotiating a roundabout, always give priority to the long vehicles or buses as during the turn, these vehicles emit a strong air pressure which can destabilize your vehicle.
- Patience is key when driving around heavy vehicles as they are usually equipped with speed limiters to control their journey.
On the other side, drivers of heavy vehicles should adopt a check list with to ensure their safety as well as the public at large
- Check compressed air braking system
- To check if tires are in good state at good pressure
- To verify wheel nuts
- To check trailer coupling devices
- Check mirrors, lights & horns
- To ensure that number plates and reflectors are in good state
- To check load security as it is the driver responsibility for making sure that the load is secured and correctly loaded.
Be part of our Bridgestone family and let’s ensure the safety of our loved ones… Don’t hesitate to visit us at our Service Centre of Port Louis or Service Center of Phoenix or call us on 697 2020 ou 208 1580 for a review of your vehicle.
Your journey our passion!
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