As many of you know, I work with new and prospective drivers through my
yahoo group. Recently, one of the members told this story during a discussion on
the dangers of deer; I will call this driver ‘Joe’.
Joe is an experienced driver who works for a middle-sized company. One day,
a deer ran out in front of his truck. Joe hit the deer which did about $2,000.00
worth of damage to his truck. His company brought him and his truck to the yard
and repaired the damage. Joe was not charged with a preventable accident.
Another driver with the same company also had a deer run out in front of
his truck the same week as Joe did. This driver tried to avoid the deer instead
of hitting it, hit a guard rail and went in the ditch. The repairs to the truck
alone were $12,000.00 not to mention the guard rail and tow bill. The driver was
charged with a preventable accident on his record and did not understand
why.
What was the difference between the two accidents? Was it the cost of the
repairs? No, it was not the cost of the repairs. It was how the driver reacted
to the deer running out in front of the truck. Joe retained control of the
situation and mitigated damages. The other driver lost control of his truck and
put himself in the situation of damaging the equipment and possibly killing
someone else along with himself. He did nothing to retain control of the
situation.
Another of my group’s members told a story about how he was in a dock and
he did not realize that he was crooked between the lines. Another truck backing
into the dock next to him hit his truck’s fender. His company, after looking at
the photos, charged him with a preventable accident on his record even though he
was sitting still and another truck hit him. Why? He was docked crooked in the
lines, his mistake.
Most accidents are caused because of mistakes, of course not all, but most
are. The driver who rear ends another vehicle was either following too close or
was not paying attention. There are rare cases of someone cutting off another
vehicle and getting rear ended, but honestly, if the driver of the vehicle that
is being cut off is paying attention, shouldn’t they have time to hit the brakes
or at least slow down? This is how a safety department and most law enforcement
officials, looks at things.
Almost all accidents are preventable in most cases. Of course, one has no
control over wildlife or other drivers who might come across the median or
center line and hit you. In those cases, one can only try to mitigate damages
and retain as much control over the equipment and situation as possible.
During the course of our careers as truck drivers and with as many miles we
all drive a year, accidents of some sort or another are bound to occur. This
does not mean that we can become complacent or blasé about any sort of accident,
even just a scratch on the fender from a tight backing situation is preventable.
It does mean that we have to be even more diligent than ever to avoid having a
preventable accident on our records. The safe operation of our equipment is the
most important part of our jobs. By being safe and avoiding accidents we not
only protect our careers, but also the motoring public and our company’s
bottom-line.
By Sandy Long
TruckstopUSA
