Safe Driving with Driverthink

There’s a very lethal Road Hazard sitting at many intersections.  The bad news?  It can get you very permanently killed.  The good news?  It’s sitting right there in plain view.  It’s easy to spot and easy to deal with.  All you have to do is recognize it.

Large trucks or buses stopped at an intersection create blind spots, especially if you end up sitting right next to them.  The problem becomes acute if you (and the truck) happen to be the first ready to go, when the light turns Green.  You may also be approaching the intersection and they’re sitting in the turn lane, waiting to turn.

You simply have no idea who’s buzzing along on the other side of that truck, ready to interrupt your intersection plans.

It has been suggested that intersection accidents may account for up to fifty percent of all injury inducing accidents.  We don’t know how many of these are because drivers couldn’t see each other coming because of a big buddy blind spot, but it’s probably substantial.

Can we even imagine how many times a truck driver cringes, as he watches a vehicle race in front of him, trying to “make the light”, while yet another driver on his side lunges forward to meet it?

These ignoble encounters of metal are almost always of the “broadside” persuasion and there are few encounters quite as detrimental to one’s health.

Most intersections are designed to be reasonably safe presuming everyone observes the rules.  It’s when someone decides to bend those rules – and you can’t see it coming, that you can get bent!  And most intersection accidents occur with either the first car in, or the last car through. 

If the first car moving through moves out quickly and the last one through is speeding up, trying to make the light, it can get messy – especially if they can’t see each other.  Skid marks, fire apparatus, auto parts, ambulances, stretchers full of bodies.  That kind of messy.

There are two basic situations where the bus or truck at the intersection can create a blind spot.  

In the first situation, you’re at a Red light.  You’re stopped along side of the truck.  The light turns Green.  Simple suggestion.  Instead of “punching it”, move out slowly along side the truck — for two reasons.

He can see that flyer coming.  He’ll wait – and if he’s waiting, it might be prudent to wait with him.  But even if he doesn’t notice the flyer, he’ll block for you.

I would rather have that flyer hit the big old truck than little old me.  So I’ll just ease it on out along side of the truck, using the big guy for cover.  Once I’m through the intersection?  Then I can move on along at my chosen pace.

If we’re on the opposite side of that equation, we may not want to try to making the light at the last moment either.  Is there someone behind that truck over there who wants to launch zero to sixty in 4.5?  He might end up doing zero into “my right side” — in less than 4 point anything.

Now we’re coming up to an intersection and the light is still Green.  All systems are “go”, but wait!  There it is — that teensy, not so little problem.  An eighteen wheeler stopped in the left turn lane, waiting to make his turn.  As we approach the intersection the blind spot behind him looms ever larger.

So who’s to say there’s not someone asleep at the gas pedal on the other side of our big boy – who’s going to cruise right on through his Red light and into us?  Or maybe that gal in the opposing left turn lane, that we can’t see, is going to take a chance and make her turn right in front of us?  Right of way becomes meaningless when we’re basically dead!

What are the chances?  Somewhat slim – but slim is all it takes!  Then we won’t ever have to worry about intersections again.  I’ve never heard of them in the “after life”.

How do we handle this potential for disaster?  First, as soon as we see that big guy sitting there, we take a really hard look at what’s behind him — before we get closer to the intersection and can no longer see.  Second, we get set for a panic stop.  We ease off the gas.

It’s easier and quicker, to stop our buggy when we’ve already reduced forward momentum, than if we’re still hard on the “go pedal”.  Caution kinda’ counts.

Large vehicles at the intersection.  It’s not their fault but they’re a serious hazard.  It’s a hazard that’s easy to deal with though.  All we have to do is respect it for what it is – and react accordingly.

Please Add your COMMENTS BELOW.  What do You Think?