TTSAO Training Tip of the Week #5 – Defensive Driving – Awareness

We are going back to some small but important safety tips that will improve your Defensive Driving.

Keep this one in mind when driving in urban settings, like Lakeshore Rd in the GTA, or any other similar busy roads.

When driving your commercial vehicle others around you are not aware of your dimensions and ability to stop quickly.

So, when approaching an intersection where the cross traffic must stop, look to see the front bumper lower toward the
pavement to signify the brakes being applied on the approaching vehicles. The more rapid the movement downward, the harder the brake application. You can use this same reference when driving your car after work.

Also, those busy roads can have parked vehicles lined up beside you. To make sure they are not going to interfere with your path, look to see if there are lights on, specifically brake lights, or if you see a head in the driver’s seat location. This usually is the start to a movement to rejoin the travel lane.

Other points of verification will be if you notice movement of the tires, or feet underneath the front of the vehicle for a pedestrian movement. Be vigilant and use this as part of your scan during observation.

TTSAO has great instructors, so don’t be afraid to step up and offer one or more of your great tips!

A slight departure from the rotation here, as Russ did emphasize the need for Defensive Driving!

There are many, many characteristics of a good defensive driver. Perhaps the 1 st one is the most important. Don’t take the other drivers’ abilities for granted. Prepare for them to do the unexpected.

Every day that you will be driving you will see something done improperly, and a possible reason for a collision. And each time it will likely be something you haven’t seen before.

So always have an ‘out’. This is part of your professional driving experience, make sure you have a plan to escape a problem situation. This will become a normal pattern of your driving experience once you have enough time on the road.

For students at a school, the instructor will likely perform this function. But grads need to be ready to do this on their own when in their jobs. Instructors should pass this practice on to their students while in the truck on a lesson.

Plan ahead, always have an ‘out’ and don’t have blind trust of those around you.

Next Tip will be about physical checks to the Exterior.