Defensive driving skills must be used every minute of the day and especially at intersections.听 Everyone鈥檚 priorities should be to be safe, efficient and complete the day without an accident or injury.
Will Flower
Every place where two or more roads come together to meet, cross or converge is defined as an intersection. Professional drivers pass through intersections hundreds of times each day. While most intersections are fairly basic, there are also complex intersections in which multiple roads come together from various angles. In some urban areas there could be intersections with 16 or more lanes of traffic crossing. Add pedestrian crossings and bicycle lanes and intersections become even more complicated.
Raise Your Caution Level
Intersections can be dangerous places. According to the Federal Highway Administration, intersections consistently make up a high proportion of crash locations as about 50 percent of the combined fatal and injury crashes occur at intersections and interchanges.
Traffic and highway engineers design roadways and intersections to be as safe as possible. Turn lanes, traffic signals, stop signs, yield signs or other warnings are used to control and guide vehicles and pedestrians through intersections. And while most intersections are controlled, many are not.
Drivers need to raise their caution level when approaching, entering and traveling through intersections where multiple vehicles and pedestrians are engaged in different, often conflicting, motions. Defensive driving skills must be applied as drivers should never assume that other drivers or pedestrians in the intersection are paying attention. Statistics point out that most crashes at intersections are caused by a driver鈥檚 lack of attention, illegal maneuvers, obstructed view or misjudging the speed of an oncoming vehicle.
Reviewing the Potential Dangers
Reviewing the potential dangers and the need for extra care at intersections should be a regular subject at driver safety meetings. Remind drivers to watch for drivers who are:
- Distracted鈥擳exting while driving is illegal in most states. Additionally, many states have restrictions on using a cell phone while driving. But there are many others distractions including looking at a map, reading directions, eating, changing radio stations or adjusting the temperature inside the car. Don鈥檛 assume the driver who is sharing the road is paying attention and sees you or the truck you are driving.
- Confused鈥擳he driver may be inexperienced, lost or confused and may not know how to properly proceed within the intersection. Be patient.
- Aggressive鈥擲peeding is always dangerous and drivers who speed up when signals change from green to yellow may be putting themselves and others in danger.
- Impaired鈥擠rivers who have been drinking or taking certain drugs may not be able to successfully navigate through intersections.
- Tired鈥擠rivers with inadequate rest or sleep can be a danger especially at intersections.
Part of Your Safety Program
Professional drivers of collection vehicles, recycling vehicles and transfer trailers know that intersections are dangerous places. As part of any organization鈥檚 safety training program, drivers should be reminded of the following:
- Loaded trucks may take longer to stop than cars. Collection vehicles are big and heavy and they usually require more distance to stop than a passenger car.
- Obey traffic signals and never run red lights. A traffic signal that changes from green to yellow is a warning and the driver should prepare to stop. By the time a light changes to red, the vehicle should be stopped or slowing to a stop. When traffic lights are not working, drivers should be especially cautious and treat non-functioning traffic signals as stop signs and make a full stop and check in all direction to make sure the roadway is clear before proceeding.
- Speed kills. Speed is a contributing factor in many accidents.听 Maintaining a safe speed will help ensure control of the vehicle.
- Adapt to changing road conditions. Drivers need to be extra cautious in snow, ice, rain and fog. Also, adjust for sun glare and darkness.
- Watch for pedestrians and bikers. Pedestrians and bicyclists present additional risks at intersections. Drivers need to be alert for distracted walkers and bicyclists.
Defensive driving skills must be used every minute of the day and especially at intersections.听 Everyone鈥檚 priorities should be to be safe, efficient and complete the day without an accident or injury.
Next month鈥檚 safety series will focus on avoiding injury from needles and other sharp objects.
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Will Flower is the Vice President of Corporate and Public Affairs at Winters Bros. Waste Systems.听 Will has 32 years of experience in the area of solid waste management and environmental protection.听 He has held operational and executive leadership positions at the Director鈥檚 Office of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Waste Management, Inc., Republic Services. Inc. and Green Stream Recycling.听
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Share your safety tip. Submit your suggestions to Will Flower at [email protected].听