The single worst habit a truck driver can have that almost guarantees an eventual crash is driving around cars.
You laugh.
CCJ reports that a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute revealed that in over 80% of fatal car-truck accidents the driver of the car was assigned fault.
What drives me crazy is wasting money and energy on the obvious when dealing with important issues. You know, like life and death.
Think about it. There are very few people that do anything more dangerous than riding in or driving a motor vehicle. Yet, we treat it so flippantly with our laws and efforts to make it safe.
If you get to the airport, gun range, hospital, doctor for a COVID vaccine, or even a rocket launch alive via a motor vehicle you have survived the most dangerous part.
Truckers drive every day. Every…day. Who causes more than 80% of the fatal accidents?
But, as Trucknews.com reports, our esteemed researchers at The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) have wasted a ton of time and money to figure out that poor drivers are more likely to cause an accident.
Okay, I took some liberties with that one, but I think you will agree.
The research found that there are four habits that increase the likelihood of a future crash by over 100%.
- Failure to yield the right-of-way
- Failure to use/improper signal
- Crash
- Reckless driving
Maybe it’s just me but I think we should be pouring money into the development of autonomous vehicles – AVs. No, I don’t think AVs are necessary or going to rule the roads anytime soon. But the technology is awesome for improving safety.
I am not talking about driver assist crap that disengages the driver for periods of time. That is terrible tech and causes more issues than it solves. More on that some other time. Let’s just say it isn’t good to hand the wheel over to the driver in an emergency when they haven’t been “engaged” for 20 minutes.
Maybe we could prevent tragedies like this accident reported in CDL Life. Another beer spill all over the highway. A perfect example of how out of touch our agencies are is a statement by the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) that said no one was injured in the crash.
Somewhere in Kansas, a poor soul sits by his BBQ with a glass of water in his hand.
No one was injured…
Peace and love.
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