Intimidated by HGVs on the road? Learn more about how to drive safely around them.
Safe Driving Around HGVs
For some people, an HGV is an annoyance when they encounter one on the road. For others, they are a source of fear. It s easy to see why car drivers can be frustrated, as HGVs are big, slow, and unwieldy vehicles to deal with when driving. Yet HGV drivers are just workers doing transport contracts who want to arrive safe and sound – they aren t the enemy on the road!
Most of the time, a little bit of careful and thoughtful driving is all it takes to prevent an accident. HGVs are a little different to deal with when compared to other vehicles on the road, and if you follow the principles outlined below, you are likely to have a much easier time of it the next time you encounter one.
Keep Your Distance
If you are behind an HGV, leave plenty of room in front of you, even if you are travelling at relatively low speeds. HGVs take much longer to stop than a normal car, and the consequences of hitting the back of one at speed is much more serious than an ordinary collision.
Nothing makes an HGV driver more anxious than a car that is tailgating them! If you stay close to the tailpipe of an HGV who is doing a transport contract, you re just going to put yourself at risk of a dangerous crash and annoy the driver in front of you. So give them plenty of room on the road.
Stay Patient
It can be frustrating for car drivers to be stuck behind an HGV, especially if you are in a hurry to get somewhere, or if you are travelling on a single lane road where overtaking is difficult or dangerous. Just remember, in many cases HGVs are legally obliged to travel at a lower speed than other vehicles on the road. It s a safety measure designed to keep other road users safe.
But if you are stuck behind an HGV, stay patient and do not be tempted to do any rash overtaking. Because of their length, you need a lot of time and space to safely overtake an HGV, so be prepared to wait for a good opportunity to do so.
Watch Out for the Blind Spot!
Just like a car, most HGVs have a blind spot where their mirrors do not provide coverage (located next to the cab in most cases) and it can be harder for HGV drivers to check their blind spots, especially if they are on the other side of the vehicle to the driver s seat. Take extra care when overtaking an HGV, and don t linger for any length of time in the blind spot area.
One thing to be aware of is that if the truck has a foreign registration, the driver will probably be sitting on the left side of the cab rather than the right. This means that they have difficulty seeing their right hand side blind spot as mentioned above – the side which you are likely to be overtaking them! Be doubly careful when overtaking foreign trucks.
Follow these simple principles, and you ll have much less trouble from HGVs on the road – and they ll get to finish their transport contracts without any hassle!
Author Resource:
Lyall Cresswell is the Managing Director of Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry across the UK and Europe. It provides services and transport contracts (http://www.haulageexchange.co.uk/ ) to buy and sell road transport and freight exchange in the domestic and international markets.
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