The term “defensive driving” has become nearly cliché around the trucking industry. Everyone wants to drive defensively, right? After all, no one wants to be in any sort of collision. It only makes sense to defend oneself from all the hazards found on the road today.
The problem with the term “defensive driving,” however, is that it leans to an “us vs. them” mentality. There’s nothing wrong with avoiding accidents, of course, but the goal should be for everyone to get home safely, including other motorists. That’s a mindset that takes a little more thought than simply staying out of collisions.
Maintaining an adequate following distance is an obvious defensive driving technique — and by doing so, you’re defending the vehicle ahead of you as well as yourself. If you can’t stop before hitting a much smaller vehicle, the damage inflicted on that vehicle and its occupants is likely to be much greater than to your truck. That’s a possibility in any collision you’re involved in with a smaller vehicle.
However, you can contribute to injury and damage to others without even being involved in a collision.
Consider the average NASCAR race
Race tracks are private property, of course, so the usual traffic rules don’t apply … but what if they did? Would you see incidents of speeding? It wouldn’t be much of a race without it. How about following too closely? Absolutely. Failure to signal? Non-working brake lights? Do NASCAR vehicles even HAVE turn signals and brake lights?
And yet many race cars can go lap after lap, mile after mile with no crashes. This happens because everyone is driving in the same direction at relatively the same speed. Nose to tail, car after car, the pack travels around the course.
In order for a crash to happen, someone has to do something different. A change in speed or a steering maneuver might be enough to change everything. Once a single vehicle gets out of the flow, anything can happen.
How does NASCAR compare to commercial highways?
Traffic on a multiple-lane highway is, in some ways, similar to the race track: Pretty much everyone is traveling in the same direction at roughly the same speed, but there always seems to be that one driver that isn’t satisfied. Every lane change, every acceleration, every application of the brake, makes a change to the flow of traffic — a change that other motorists may respond to.
When you make a lane change in a large commercial vehicle, there are often corresponding moves to the rear. Some motorists also change lanes, partly to avoid being (they think) trapped behind a truck, some to maintain visibility, some to “claim” the lane they want for passing. Other motorists need to brake to maintain following distance.
Each maneuver adds to the risk of collision. The reality is that your lane change can set up a chain of events to the rear that could result in a collision that you aren’t even involved in.
Obviously, you can’t avoid making lane changes and other maneuvers and still do your job. However, you can think about whether the lane change is really necessary, and you can check the traffic in your mirrors, anticipating what could happen in response. By doing so, you’re “defending” other motorists as well as yourself.
Another common mistake drivers make is assuming what the actions of other motorists will be. Making a left turn, for example, is a maneuver that can be fraught with danger. Depending on the truck’s power, gear selected, cargo weight and other variables, it can take 15 or more seconds for your trailer to clear an intersection.
Oncoming traffic can cover a lot of distance in the time it takes to complete the turn. It’s easy to assume that an oncoming vehicle has enough time to slow down or even stop if necessary. It’s easy to be wrong.
Other motorists may be distracted by phones, traffic, passengers or anything else. They may not be as experienced as you, and they may lack the ability to properly calculate time and distance. Perhaps they don’t have the safety ethic or training that professional drivers do.
For whatever reason, an impact can result.
Occasions where motorists are presented with a view of the side of a trailer happen away from intersections, too.
Making a U-turn or backing across a highway can present oncoming motorists with an unexpected visual. The long, horizontal lines presented by trailer sides might resemble an overpass or part of the horizon to an unsuspecting driver, who may not realize there’s a hazard until it’s too late. The danger is high enough that many carriers have adopted “no U-turn” policies.
The “sitting duck” rule.
With parking spaces for trucks often hard to come by, some drivers choose to park on the shoulder of the road, often on entrance or exit ramps. When situated well out of the traveled part of the roadway, and especially in areas where traffic is slowed, such as an entrance ramp, such a space would seem safe enough.
Unfortunately, other motorists may see your taillights and not realize the truck is parked on the shoulder. Motorists who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol are particularly susceptible to striking stationary vehicles.
Even actions like keeping your windows and mirrors clean and unobstructed so that you can see everything that’s going on around your vehicle can make a difference. You can expect others to do unsafe things like pass on the right, travel in your blind spot or cut in front without leaving sufficient room. By anticipating their actions and responding appropriately, you can avoid the hazards they represent.
With the number of distracted and just plain “bad” drivers, it’s easy to get into the mentality that driving defensively simply means avoiding them. It’s helpful to remember that those “four-wheelers” are often driven by people who have families just like yours — they have spouses, partners, parents, kids, friends and others who want them to come home safely.
If you can drive in a way that helps them to do that, it’s a win for everyone.
Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.
