Trucks and the hard shoulder
Discussion
My dad recently had the misfortune to break down on the M6, but managed to coast far enough to find a break in the hard shoulder Armco that he could get the car into, in order to be as far off the hard shoulder as possible. Even so, as they waited on the bank (i.e. outside the car) my dad said he was stunned and not a little worried to experience several HGV's driving down the hard shoulder, narrowly missing the side of his car.
After the AA guy arrived to recover them, he mentioned that the life expectancy of a car on the hard shoulder of a busy motorway could be measured in minutes, and the primary reason for the apalling driving of the HGVs is that many of them use the rumble strips as a guidance control, i.e. they sit on top of the rumble strips watching TV etc. and when the rumbling stops they look up to correct their course, which is frequently too late if there is a car on the hard shoulder.
Anyone know if this is true, and if not, why HGV's do seem to stray onto the hard shoulder so much?
After the AA guy arrived to recover them, he mentioned that the life expectancy of a car on the hard shoulder of a busy motorway could be measured in minutes, and the primary reason for the apalling driving of the HGVs is that many of them use the rumble strips as a guidance control, i.e. they sit on top of the rumble strips watching TV etc. and when the rumbling stops they look up to correct their course, which is frequently too late if there is a car on the hard shoulder.
Anyone know if this is true, and if not, why HGV's do seem to stray onto the hard shoulder so much?
MR2Mike said:
Anyone know if this is true, and if not, why HGV's do seem to stray onto the hard shoulder so much?
I don't know if it is true and would consider it unlikely.
However I suspect the reason trucks stray from their lanes so frequently is the same as why we have more speed cameras but no real reduction in accidents for cars.
Both cars and lorries are so much easier to drive these days, and come with air conditioning, cCD Player, comfy seats etc. All designed to relax a driver to such an extent they don't actually pay attention to what they are doing. With lorries its even worse as they will be driving on the speed limiter so no real need to do anything other than steer!
This is why the attention on speed is so wrong, the attention needs to be on increasing driver awareness.
Being higher up, car drivers can't see what goes on in a lorry cab, but on several occasions I've seen van drivers reading books, and once saw one doing a crossword.
I'm sure many of them are texting all day on their mobiles - there have been deaths reported where the lorry driver was found to have been texting.
I'm sure many of them are texting all day on their mobiles - there have been deaths reported where the lorry driver was found to have been texting.
gregy said:
Its true, my Dad had lots of experience with Truck drivers and they use the rumble strip to keep them awake!
Really.........Ok if you say so
Posted by a truck driver. Atb Derek. P.s. I don't watch tv's and read map book's, while driving I keep my eyes on the road.
>> Edited by winnebago nut on Wednesday 3rd August 17:20
Some trucks i have driven, Would steer left if you take your hands lightly off the wheel, could be tracking, Load distribution, sitting not quite in the centre of the tram lines. Even wind as you have pointed out ghost. Just a few to get started, But i will be honest there could be some drivers getting tired (time to pull in to the services and get ripped off) . Atb Derek
P.s. Believe it or not, Most trucks have been limited to 53-54 mph, even tho the highway code says we can still do 60 Mph
>> Edited by winnebago nut on Wednesday 3rd August 17:53
P.s. Believe it or not, Most trucks have been limited to 53-54 mph, even tho the highway code says we can still do 60 Mph
>> Edited by winnebago nut on Wednesday 3rd August 17:53
"Truck drivers using the rumble strips to guide the truck" In 27 years or driving the big ones i have never heard that one before, The average motorist is supposed to have a serious accident every 20 years this is of an average figure if you do more mile then you might be more likely but deaths on the road are getting less so this figure may need revising. Something like 1/3 of all accidents on the motorway happen on the hard shoulder, ask yourself why do people just happen to wander onto the hard shoulder were there just happens to be a parked vehicle? In my opinion we all get used to following the back end of another vehicle or red lights if its dark then when we are not concentrating enough we just start to follow the next vehicle and before we realise it its a stationery vehicle and SLAM your dead,Its the same reason why people run into the back of slow moving vehicles going up hill on the motorway, Big cranes are a nightmare,A slow moving vehicle on the motorway is a rear end shunt just waiting to happen,If you are following some one on the motorway and they suddenly slow by 5 mph they are probably answering the phone or if they start to wander then they are probably eating there sandwiches. My advice is always drive faster than trucks its safer for you and it helps us (we don`t have to pull out and pass you).
I have never read such a load of crap on a PH thread before. (apologies to previous poster and WN). and I forgot about Diesel Ed/Bogush, but let`s not get into that.....
Any of you numbnuts ever driven a heavy?
Two main factors are wind and road surface. Often you can be pushed off course by either. Obviously it is not safe to wrench the wheel back into the straight ahead position, so you guide it back gently. If this involves running over the hard shoulder(when you can see it is clear), then so be it.
Don`t demonise us all.
Any of you numbnuts ever driven a heavy?
Two main factors are wind and road surface. Often you can be pushed off course by either. Obviously it is not safe to wrench the wheel back into the straight ahead position, so you guide it back gently. If this involves running over the hard shoulder(when you can see it is clear), then so be it.
Don`t demonise us all.
towman said:
I have never read such a load of crap on a PH thread before. (apologies to previous poster and WN). and I forgot about Diesel Ed/Bogush, but let`s not get into that.....
Any of you numbnuts ever driven a heavy?
Two main factors are wind and road surface. Often you can be pushed off course by either. Obviously it is not safe to wrench the wheel back into the straight ahead position, so you guide it back gently. If this involves running over the hard shoulder(when you can see it is clear), then so be it.
Don`t demonise us all.
Here's the story I was think of re texting - he actually veered into a layby, but I suggest that's similar enough to veering onto the hard shoulder;
A LORRY driver who was sending a text message to his girlfriend when he hit and killed a man was sentenced to five years in jail for causing death by dangerous driving in 2001.
The court case centred on whether or not the driver was messaging on his mobile phone at the time of the collision.
The judge in the case said that while the lorry driver was remorseful about what had happened, it was ‘difficult to imagine a more blatant act of such of cold blooded disregard for safety on the roads.’
Outside court the victim’s father said: ‘A lesson has been learned today that mobile phones can be lethal weapons.’
The prosecution said the driver had lost concentration while composing a text message and slowly veered off the road into the lay-by where the victim was standing.
He was a van driver delivering gas bottles, I read, and was texting girlfriend to tell her how many drops of them he'd achieved that day.
His messages were retrieved as evidence in court.
when he left the road and scooted down the lay-by.
I've seen people use lay-bys as extra carriageways before now, when so rushed they cant' wait a second longer, behind say, a digger or tractor,
and at the time, I thought this might have occured.
Either way, he must have steered off the road, and across a white line, to have been amongst the parked cars in the first place.
His messages were retrieved as evidence in court.
when he left the road and scooted down the lay-by.
I've seen people use lay-bys as extra carriageways before now, when so rushed they cant' wait a second longer, behind say, a digger or tractor,
and at the time, I thought this might have occured.
Either way, he must have steered off the road, and across a white line, to have been amongst the parked cars in the first place.
I ride a bike and overtake everyone when traffic goes slow and I can assure you that car drivers are the worst for..... txting, calling, arguing with wife/husband, sorting dog out, picking stuff off floor, changing radio chanels, trying to retrieve stuff off the parcel shelf, picking nose.
Also drive the big uns and so see what other HGV drivers are doing too and it isn't nearly as bad. trust me. As always though there will be isolated incidents in all areas
Laters
>> Edited by just_william on Thursday 4th August 13:43
Also drive the big uns and so see what other HGV drivers are doing too and it isn't nearly as bad. trust me. As always though there will be isolated incidents in all areas
Laters
>> Edited by just_william on Thursday 4th August 13:43
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