Brushing up on safe practices
SafetyDriven offers this reminder of good habits. Watch your speed and watch for hazards!
While operating under COVID-19 restrictions, you may have gotten used to highways with little traffic. Seeing that broad open road, maybe you saw a clear shot to put the hammer down and gain some time. Stop! As COVID-19 restrictions loosen, the traffic will be back. This SafetyDriven refresher will help you be ready. And remember—when it comes to safety, SafetyDriven – Transportation Safety Council of BC has your back.
Remember Not to Speed
According to ICBC, 89,000 people are injured and 287 killed in vehicle crashes in BC each year. Of those, 82 die from speed-related crashes (exceeding the speed limit, driving too fast for conditions; excessive speed over 40 km/h). Remember not to become a statistic.
Remember Your Good Habits
The COVID-19 protocols and practices have been around long enough to become habit. It takes 18 to 254 days to create a new habit. On average, a new habit becomes automatic behaviour in two months. You’ve built good habits through your training and experience. During this unprecedented time, you could find bad habits creeping into your work performance, especially if the pandemic is affecting your mental health. Be aware; remember your good habits.
Remember to Watch for Wildlife
Spring typically increases the amount of wildlife close to roads, especially young animals that haven’t learned to be wary. With less traffic, there is more than usual wildlife along the highways. It takes a lot of road to stop, so watch your speed. Remember: slowing down by as little as 5 km/h can make the difference between completing your trip or replacing your front end.
Remember to Watch for the Other Guy
A lot of people haven’t been driving much for the past few months, so their skills may be a little rusty; you’ll need to remember for them. With summer coming and typically more vehicles on the road, that lack of practice will combine with lost or confused drivers of overloaded vehicles distracted by kids and trying to listen to their GPS instructions. Remember to expect the unexpected and keep as much space around your truck as possible.
Remember to Stay Focused
It’s easy to let your mind wander when you’re behind the wheel. Remember to focus on the job and don’t let yourself be distracted by problems at home, loose stuff in your truck, hunger, discomfort and the other issues that filter into your mind. ICBC reports that an average of 76 people die each year in distracted driving crashes. A few seconds of inattention can be fatal to you or someone else, especially if you’ve increased your speed. And remember the hazards of stopping roadside. Between 2009 and 2018, four of the 13 roadside workers killed by vehicles were truck drivers.
The pandemic is still here
In your truck and at work sites, follow the COVID-19 protocols to keep you and your colleagues safe. These practices will be in place for awhile yet.
And remember— SafetyDriven – TSCBC provides free health and safety program building, training, and resources to the general trucking and moving and storage industries.
Visit SafetyDriven.ca for free online resources to help you make your company safer.