Question: on the highway, how far should you keep your vehicle from the heavy truck that's in front of you in order to ensure safe braking distances? Likewise, how long will that same truck take to regain its cruising speed after the driver suddenly applied the brakes?
Road safety awareness campaigns have hammered us with these safety notions: you have to keep a greater distance when following a heavy truck than you normally would when following a passenger car. Not only is the truck dealing with significantly longer braking distances, but it also has larger blind spots.
Few people know, however, that they should keep a one-second distance for each three-meter segment of the truck. "For example, when following a 23-meter-long truck, you have to remain 8 seconds behind, provided that the road conditions are favorable," explains Martin Therien, group leader at the Road Transportation Training Center (RTTC) in Saint-Janvier, Quebec.
And to answer the second question at the beginning of this article, a trailer truck will take up to three kilometers to regain its cruising speed after the driver abruptly applied the brakes.
The car driver, the guilty part
So, have you answered correctly to both questions? In the affirmative, you're one of the few who are familiar with the reality of truckers. "I'll tell you: most car drivers have absolutely no idea what could happen if a 40,000-kilo truck suddenly had to stop," says Mr. Therien.
Do you? "In most cases where a collision with a heavy truck has occurred, the culprit is often the car driver," adds Yvon Lapointe, Safety Director at the CAA-Quebec.
Once in your life...
True, there are reckless and aggressive truckers on the road, some of them sticking their nose right behind the preceding vehicle. Others prefer to drive at 120 kph in the passing lane.
"But most truck drivers behave like professionals, according to Mr. Therien. Check for yourself: each time you encounter a questionable driver, ask yourself how many others have not bothered you..."
Actually, there are more truckers who encounter dangerous car drivers than the other way around.
That's why, says the RTTC group leader, "every single car driver should, at least once in his or her life, climb on board a heavy truck." They would then understand that maneuvering such a behemoth on a highway on-ramp is no easy task, and that car drivers who try to pass them in the right fast lane should change their mind and courteously pull over to the left fast lane.
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Few people know, however, that they should keep a one-second distance for each three-meter segment of the truck. "For example, when following a 23-meter-long truck, you have to remain 8 seconds behind, provided that the road conditions are favorable," explains Martin Therien, group leader at the Road Transportation Training Center (RTTC) in Saint-Janvier, Quebec.
And to answer the second question at the beginning of this article, a trailer truck will take up to three kilometers to regain its cruising speed after the driver abruptly applied the brakes.
The car driver, the guilty part
 |
Do you? "In most cases where a collision with a heavy truck has occurred, the culprit is often the car driver," adds Yvon Lapointe, Safety Director at the CAA-Quebec.
Once in your life...
True, there are reckless and aggressive truckers on the road, some of them sticking their nose right behind the preceding vehicle. Others prefer to drive at 120 kph in the passing lane.
"But most truck drivers behave like professionals, according to Mr. Therien. Check for yourself: each time you encounter a questionable driver, ask yourself how many others have not bothered you..."
 |
That's why, says the RTTC group leader, "every single car driver should, at least once in his or her life, climb on board a heavy truck." They would then understand that maneuvering such a behemoth on a highway on-ramp is no easy task, and that car drivers who try to pass them in the right fast lane should change their mind and courteously pull over to the left fast lane.