Your Safety Director Is Lying to You




But that’s not really lying as much as it’s misinformation. The big lie that is taught is the whole “Rock in the Stream” idea. In multiple discussions, it’s come up over and over again as being part of the Smith System of defensive driving. So let’s take a peek:


SmithSystem.jpg


I know a lot of drivers mock the Smith System, but the reality is that if you’re a good defensive driver, you already use these ideas. I wasn’t exposed to it until I’d been driving almost 10 years, but I realized right off that these were the exact same tactics I’d used when riding my motorcycles. You largely operate as if you are invisible to other drivers. But I don’t want to get sidetracked, so we’re only going to talk about #4, the only place where the rock idea could possibly fit.

The thinking presented by the safety industry is that by occupying the middle lane at less the average speed, you’re minimizing what the driver must deal with, allowing him/her to focus more on what’s in front of them. And that’s largely true, especially in dense urban areas with an exit every mile or two. But it doesn’t necessarily jive with “Leave Yourself An Out.” The concept there is to make sure that if things go badly awry, you have an action you can take to get your vehicle out of harm’s way. That could mean a lane change or it could just mean slowing down. But the idea is to always be aware what’s around your vehicle at all times, front, side, and rear. The reasoning is that it’s far quicker to verify the situation and react than it is to analyze what’s around you on the road, make your decision, and react. And 37 years of trucking gives me the experience to tell you that’s true. You already know your options, you’re just verifying, and it’s easy to move to next if the first is invalid. Compare that to have to determine your options and then decide which is the best. You’re simply reducing the amount of information your brain has to process to make a decision. Verifying can result in almost instant reaction, analysis inherently takes longer.

But when you’re the rock in the stream, suddenly you’re needlessly dealing with passing traffic on both sides of your vehicle. And instead of leaving yourself an almost guaranteed out with the shoulder, you’re now have to keep in mind closing traffic on either side of you. You’ve actually made it harder for the driver to ensure they have an out. We won’t even get into the incredibly frustrating effect this has on traffic flow, with a vehicle as much as 15 mph below the speed limit occupying the center lane and causing a congestion bubble around that truck which further increases risk, as that truck is now in an artificially high traffic area.

So why is this taught? Herein lies the BIG LIE. The big fleets teach this for one reason, and one reason only, it’s to reduce liability. The reality of this occurred to me after reading and listening to an assortment of drivers talk about how their safety departments encouraged less scanning of the mirrors and more attention to road ahead. Why? If someone hits your moving vehicle from behind, it’s very hard to make the case that you are in any way liable for that accident.

So, there it is. Instead of actively trying to teach their drivers to be the best professionals they can be, safety departments across our industry are only worried about covering themselves in any civil proceeding. Being a safer driver is a secondary consideration, and you should examine every thing taught by your safety department through the lens of that knowledge. Because it’s very unlikely to be the only lie.

SAFETY SECOND!
 
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It's hilarious because I have this very concept in my notes for articles but never got to actually writing it.

The stoooonnneeee in the riiiivvveerrr....makes me want to slap people.

The other one is tooting the horn before moving the truck. I finally lost it for this one at 230am one day while sleeping at the DC. Some smart-ass laid on his city horn for two long blats instead of just two little beeps - or not doing it at all.

Tooting the horn before moving the truck is also one of the stupidest policies ever.
 
It's hilarious because I have this very concept in my notes for articles but never got to actually writing it.

The stoooonnneeee in the riiiivvveerrr....makes me want to slap people.

The other one is tooting the horn before moving the truck. I finally lost it for this one at 230am one day while sleeping at the DC. Some smart-ass laid on his city horn for two long blats instead of just two little beeps - or not doing it at all.

Tooting the horn before moving the truck is also one of the stupidest policies ever.
Worst is those ones equiped with backing sirens at the Truckstop....

Trying to suicide blindsided that last spot at 2 am and takes em 1/2 hour
 
It's hilarious because I have this very concept in my notes for articles but never got to actually writing it.

The stoooonnneeee in the riiiivvveerrr....makes me want to slap people.

The other one is tooting the horn before moving the truck. I finally lost it for this one at 230am one day while sleeping at the DC. Some smart-ass laid on his city horn for two long blats instead of just two little beeps - or not doing it at all.

Tooting the horn before moving the truck is also one of the stupidest policies ever.
Ill do it if theres a lot of activity around me to warn folks, but if youre in the middle of a 5 acre lot by yourself there’s no need
 
Thats why it's so stupid.

BOOP BOOP!

...aaand INSTANTLY everything is now safer!
Kinda like the reflective vests. If you can’t see a human being walking in a parking lot, that reflective vest isn’t going to make you suddenly aware of your surroundings.
 
Kinda like the reflective vests. If you can’t see a human being walking in a parking lot, that reflective vest isn’t going to make you suddenly aware of your surroundings.
Those are creeping into Walmart and I already can't stand it.
 
Last two nights it got cold as **** right at dusk.

A friend was over on his dirt bike yesterday. He lives 30 miles away. I had to loan him my old Carhardt so he could ride home without freezing his balls off.
66 when I woke up in Joplin...

But was about 90 when I went too bed so had the A/C cranked..

Hadda put the heater on afew minutes that 1st cup of coffee
 
Last two nights it got cold as **** right at dusk.

A friend was over on his dirt bike yesterday. He lives 30 miles away. I had to loan him my old Carhardt so he could ride home without freezing his balls off.
Just tell him go a little slower 😁
 

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