As the number of heavy vehicles on South Africa’s roads, and in particular along the N3 toll route, continues to escalate, the need for South African motorists to share our roads responsibly is more important now than ever before.
As the number of heavy vehicles on South Africa’s roads, and in particular along the N3 toll route, continues to escalate, the need for South African motorists to share our roads responsibly is more important now than ever before.
“This is especially true in light of the fact that the number of accidents continue to increase and lives are lost on our roads every day,” says Road Safety Foundation director, Petro Kruger. Trucks are extremely important to the South African economy.
As consumers we need them on our roads as they are responsible for transporting products that are critical to life – and those that make life a lot more comfortable.
However, as a motorist, sharing the road with large trucks can cause a feeling of discomfort. What is crucial, however, is for all road users to create a ‘motoring comfort zone’ that will help to reduce the occurrence of accidents and minimise the potential risk for incidents to take place.
This is often easier said than done, so N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) and the Road Safety Foundation have put together some tips and suggestions for motorists to consider not only when travelling on the N3 Toll Route, but on all South African roads.
The Road Safety Foundation believes that motorists can protect themselves and their passengers by learning to share the road safely and responsibly with large vehicles. F ive Ways to share the
road safely and responsibly with trucks:
Don’t cut in front of trucks
Trucks leave extra room behind the vehicles they follow because it can take them twice as long to stop.
If you move into that space and have to brake suddenly, you decrease the truck’s available stopping distance placing you and your passengers in danger. Anticipate the flow of traffic and avoid pulling in front of trucks at the last moment.
Stay out of the blind spots
Truck drivers have huge blind spots around the front, back and sides of the truck. Because of a truck’s size,
truck drivers must react faster than car drivers in emergency situations.
If faced with a potential front-end collision, the truck driver may turn into your lane not knowing you are there.
Avoid tailgating
Some large trucks are almost as wide as the lane in which you may be driving. If you are driving too close behind one you are prevented from reacting effectively to changing traffic conditions.
If you are too close to the rear of a truck and traffic slows down on the highway, or debris in the road, you won’t notice it until there is a braking emergency.
If there is a problem ahead, your first hint will be the truck’s brake lights. But if you happen to be distracted or tired, you may not be able to react in time.
If you hit the rear of a truck you’ll soon learn that trucks are unforgiving.There are no impactabsorbing bumpers, and the metal bumpers they have may not align with yours. So be smart and give yourself plenty of room.
Wear your seatbelt
Buckling up your seat belt is the single most important thing you can do to save your life in a crash.
A seat belt will keep you in your seat and help you to maintain control of your vehicle. The safest place for children is in the backseat, buckled up or preferably in a car or booster seat. Be safe and always buckle up.
Beware of emergency lanes
A large number of people were killed or injured in emergency lane collisions last year. If you break down or pull over into the emergency lane, it is important to understand that you are in a very unsafe position both for yourself and your passengers.
It is preferable to pull over as far as possible off the road. When a parked vehicle in an emergency lane is struck by a moving car, the damage suffered by both vehicles is severe.
When the moving vehicle is a truck, weighing as much as 25 cars, the result more often than not is fatal. Avoid emergency lanes whenever possible.
Try to exit from the highway, even if it costs you a tyre or rim. If you cannot exit, consider whether you are safer inside or away from the vehicle. Your decision could save your life.
