Do you ever look in your rear view mirror?
I won’t mention the name of the food distribution company who’s truck must have come within three feet of my bumper on a very snowy exit ramp forcing me to exit much faster than I felt safe driving in those conditions.
As Safety and Compliance guy for a trucking company several years ago, I took a call from a lady about our driver bearing down on her in heavy traffic, she was terrified for herself and two kids in the car, she said she thought she was going to die. She later wrote me a letter passionately describing her ordeal.
Unfortunately this happens all too often and does sometimes cause drivers to panic and make a mistake which on the highway can be deadly.
It doesn’t have to be a truck though. Some drivers can be intimidated into making a foolish mistake they would not have made otherwise by a car tailgating them or it could develop into a case of road rage.
Don’t Tailgate! Most of the accidents I see (and I see a lot) are from people following too close! Leave at least TWO to THREE seconds between vehicles – in good conditions.
More in poor conditions, better safe than dead!
